\\~-\\\\\\\\\\V\\\v\-^NVW. 




X^ 



I 









■iM^ai4:v;^/%^ 



/■.ii(>' .»lll '>> xl^~<> 









I.>^TF%?7t 



^ 1 \. ^ >^. y. ^^ % :^^ :^< i ■);> i> % 3:;:-^ J 




Wmi^ 







k 



h ^ 






w 



« 




bronze; group. (Page 207.) 



THE 



i 



CHICA(;() MASSACRI: OF 1812 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS 



JOSEPH KIRKLAND 



AUTHOR OF "THli STOKV OF CHICAGO, " " ZCRV, THli MEANKST T. AN 

IN SPRING CONTY, " "THE MC VEYS, AN KriSODF," 

"THE CAPTAIN OF COMPANY K," ETC. 



Jul 



"xi^us-y' 



CHICAGO 
THE DIBBLK PUBLISHING COMPANY 

334 DEARBORN STRHET 



:np i 



C52 \«^ 



Copyright : 
Joseph Kirkland. 

1893. 



LIBBY & SHERWOOD PRINTING CO, 
CHICAGO. 



1 

^1 



AUTHOR'S PREFACTv 

History is not a snap-shot. Events happen, and the 
true record of them follows at a distance. Sometimes 
the early report is too voluminous, and it takes time to 
reduce it to truth by a winnowing process that divide-^ 
chaff from ^rain. This has been the case regarding 
every great modern battle. Sometimes, on the other 
hand, the event was obscure and became important 
through the rise of other, later conditions; in which case, 
instead of winnowing, the historian sets himself to glean- 
ing the field and making his grist out of scattered bits of 
its fruitage. This has been the case regarding the Chi- 
cago massacre of 1812. 

It was only a skirmish and a slaughter, involving the 
loss of three score lives. But those dead men, women 
and children were the fore-runners of all the dwellers in 
one o£the greatest cities of Christendom, the renowned 

city of Chicago. 

Up to less than twenty years ago it was thought— by 
the few who gave the matter any thought— that next to 
nothingcouldeverbefound out concerning the events which 

took place in and about Fort Dearborn— now Chicago— 
on August 15, 181 2, and the time immediately before and 
after that day. All that was then known was contained 
in the artless, non-historic narrative contained in Mrs. 
Kinzie's amusing and delightful story of her own adven- 
tures (i83i-i833),into which she wove, as a mere episode, 
the scattered reminiscences of members of her family who 
had taken part in the tragedy of twenty years before. 

But in iS8t, ten years after the Great Fire had wiped 
out all old Chicago, and all records of older Chicago, the 
Historical Society happily took up tlie task of erecting a 

5 



6 Author s preface. 

'' massacre memorial tablet " on the ground where Fort 
Dearborn had stood. William M. Hoyt generously gave 
the necessary money, and the Hon. John Wentworth 
ably and devotedly set himself about gathering, from all 
over the land, every item which could be gleaned to 
throw light on the dark and dreadful event. How well 
he succeeded is shown by his book, ** Fort Dearborn," 
published by the Fergus Printing Company as number i6 
in its admirable Historical Series; a collection of pamphlets 
which should form part of every library in the city. 

Exhaustive as was Mr. Went worth's research, yet 
the last word had not been said. There was — and is — still 
living, the Hon. Darius Heald, son of the Captain 
(Nathan) Heald who commanded the whites on the fatal 
day, and who, with his wife, was sorely wounded in the 
fray. The son had heard, a hundred times, his parents' 
story of the massacre; and his repetition of that story, 
taken down in short-hand from his own lips, forms the 
main part of the strictly new matter I offer in this book. 

Much of the contents of the following pages, which 
has been published before, is not marked as quotation, for 
the reason that it is my own writing, having been in- 
cluded in my "Story of Chicago," published by the 
same house which publishes this book. (Many of the 
illustrations are also taken from this same source.) On 
the other hand, much that is marked in quotation 
is also my own work; but as it is part of my contribution 
toMunsell&Company'slarge' 'History of Chicago" which 
is still in press, credit is invariably given to the last- 
named work. 

All I could find, on this fascinating theme, I have faith- 
fully recorded. If a later gleaner shall find more, no 
one will be more glad than will I, to welcome it. 

Joseph Kirkland. 



The GiiiGAGe Massagre of 1512, 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PART I. 
Saturday, August Fifteenth, 1812. 

Scene at dawn ; page 19 :— Mothers and children ; Captain Wells 
and his Miamis ; his niece, Rebekah Heald ; why he blackened his 
face ; the Dead March ; the Fort cattle ; Indian follies ; 20 :— Mar- 
garet Helm, the authority for Mrs. Kinzie's narrative in Wau-Bun ; 
21 -—Ensign Ronan's insubordination ; Rebekah Heald's version 
as reported by her son, Darius ; 22 -.-Evacuation of the fort ; Cap- 
tain Heald's force; Kiuzie family; they take boat ; 23 :— To-pee- 
uee-be's warning; line of march ; 24 :— Pot<owatomie "escort;" 
25 —Wau-Bun narrative begins ; the attack ; 27 -.—Surgeon Van 
Voorhees; 28 :— Black Partridge rescues Mrs. Helm; '^cene por- 
trayed in bronze group ; 29 :-John Kinzie reports safety of Lieu- 
tenant Helm ; Captain Wells's scalp ; Indians are kind to Mrs. 
Helm ; she learns details of the struggle ; a squaw tortures a wound- 
ed soldier- 30 — English blamed for Indian alliance; Mrs. 
Heald's narrative begins ; similar to Mrs. Helm's ; the sand-ridges; 
31 —Captain Wells orders and leads the charges; the battle thus 
foolishly lost ; signal for surrender ; 32 —The twelve militia-men ; 
Captain Heald's wound; 33 —Mrs. Heald's six wounds; particu- 
lars of Wells's death ; Indians cut out his heart and eat it ; 84 :— 
•' Epeconier '" • his noble self-sacrifice ; relics in the Calumet Club; 
35— Mrs Heald fights for her blanket ; 36 —Stripped of her jew- 
elry • what became of it ; articles redeemed and still in existence ; 
37 --Chandonnais saves the Healds' lives ; wounded prisoners tor- 
tured to death ; 38 —Fatal blot on the Indian race ; :\Irs. Helm's 
report goes on at second hand ; variance with Captain Heald's ; 
39 —The latter casts no slurs ; 40 :-One Indian kills twelve chil- 
dren in the baggage-wagon ; Mrs. Helm's incredible account of 
Wells's death ; 41 —True-seeming tale of the Kiuzies' escape ; 

7 



8 TABLK OF CONTENTS. 

doubtful statement about Mrs. Heald ; 42 : — Kinzies again in the 
old house ; Indians burn the fort ; they guard the Kinzies , Wabash 
hostiles come ; 44 : — Peril and panic ; 45 : — Saved by Billy Cald- 
well, the Sauganash ; 46 : — Sukey Corbin's fate, as told by Mrs. 
Jouett , 48 : — Possibility that a narrative by I/ieutenant Helm may 
exist , Indian traits ; 49 : — What is next to be shown ; 50. 



* PART II. 

HOW THE FORT AND CITY WERK BEGUN AND WHO WERE THE 

BEGINNERS 

Chapter I. The Dark Before the Dawn. — The French 
period reluctantly passed over ; Chicago reappears in 1778, after 
100 years of oblivion ; J. B. Pointe de Saible ; 53 : — Various spell- 
ings of Chicago ; meaningof the word ; 54 : — Treaty of 1795; build- 
ing of the "Old Kinzie House" in 1778 ; 55 :— Who was here then ? 
Astor fortunes ; 56 : — 50,000 square miles of solitude ; Gurdon Hub- 
bard's observations in 1816; Ouillemette, now Wilmette; Gen. Dear- 
born orders the fort built ; 57 :— John Whistler's company of the 
First Infantry comes in 1804 and builds it ; John Whistler ; 58 : — The 
schooner Tracy arrives, the "big canoe with wings;" the account 
given, in 1875, by Mrs. Whistler; the pioneer, John Kinzie, ar- 
rives in 1804 ; 60 :— State of things for the next eight years ; 
61 :— Charles Jouett; 62 :— Joe Battles and Alexander Robinson; 
the Indians and Indian traders ; whisky ; Munsell's History of 
Chicago ; 63. 

Chapter II. Building of the First Fort Dearborn.— 
William Wells is here in 1803 ; 65 :— Signs an Indian trader's 
license as Governor Harrison's agent ; Captain Anderson comes 
down from " Mill-wack-ie" in 1804 ; what the fort was like ; 66 :— 
Agency House ; 67 : — How the Chicagoans passed their lime ; War 
Department records of Fort Dearborn, furnished in 1881 by Sec- 
retary-of-War Lincoln to John Wentworth ; 68 :— In 1811 Captain 
Nathan Heald marries Rebekah Wells ; wild wedding journey ; 
69 :— Gay winter for the bride ; John Kinzie kills John Lalime in 
self-defence ; 70 : — Double murder by Indians at Lee's place 
(Hardscrabble), on the South Branch ; 71 :— Graphic narrative in 
Wau-Bun ; "(2 : — Man and boy escape and spread the alarm ; 74 : — 
Captain Heald tells the story ; Indian traits ; 75. 



TABI.IC oi' CONTI'NTS. 9 

CiiArTi.R III. ICnc.ijsh AM) INDIAN SavaokS.— Capt. Ilcald 
is incliiKHl to cluir^e the Ilardscrabblc massacre to the Wiii- 
nebagocs ; Hritish alliance M-ith Indians characterized ; 77— Itsnn- 
soldierly resnlts ; ruin of brave General Hull ; 78 :— Shame to Lord 
Liverpool's government ; "Suppose Russia should insli^'ate a Sepoy 
rebellion ;" wild alarm follows the Lee murders , 79 :— Munsell's 
history of it; war declared; SO :— Hull sends Winnemeg with or- 
ders to Ileald to evacuate Fort Dearborn and fall back on Detroit , 
Mackinaw had already been taken ; wording of Hull's order dif- 
ferently given by Captain Heald and Mrs. Helm ; 81 :— The latter 
finds fault with the former ; alleges want of harmony in the fort ; 
82:— Mrs. Heald denies this, alleging that Ronan thought highly 
of his captain ; the stammering soldier ; 83 :— comparative authen- 
ticity of the two narratives ; how the Heald story comes to be told 
now for the first time ; 84. 

Chapter IV. A Long FareweUv. —Departure not favored 
by sub-officers ; soldier suggests "jerked beef;" Ho :— Heald's let- 
ter of Nov. 7, 1812, regarding the withdrawal; Wau-Bun to the 
contrary ; alleged disorder ; 8G :— Captain Heald's traits ; 87 :— 
Heald and Kinzie have a pow-wow with the Indians; consult be- 
tween themselves ; agree to distribute goods, but destroy arms and 
whisky ; Kinzie's liquors ; plan carried out ; 88 :— William Wells 
to the'rescue ; scene of his arrival ; 89 :— Baseless hopes aroused ; 
Black Partridge gives up his medal ; 90 :— This meant war ; then 
what should have been done ? 92 :— Mrs. Heald 's story of the prep- 
arations ; 93 :— Surroundings then and now ; 94-96 :— Saturday 
having been already described, the story skips from Friday to Sun- 
day ; 9('). 

Chapter V. Fate of the Fugitives.— Every word treas- 
ured ; 97 :— Heald's escape while wounded are being tortured ; in- 
cidents of canoe-travel ; omission of record of halt on the St. Jo- 
seph's ; kindness of commandant at Mackinaw ; 98 ;— Push on to 
Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburg, and so on home, to Louisville , meeting 
with Mrs. Heald's father ; unfortunate loss of her written story ; 
99:_\Vau-Bun story; Sergeant GrilTith and To-pee-nee-be; Kinzies 
are taken to Chief Robinson at St Joseph's, and later to Detroit ; 
John Kinzie tries to save his property ; 100 :— Friendly Indians 
helped by Thomas Forsyth to rescue Lieut. Helm and send him to 
Detroit; sent on as prisoners to Fort George, Niagara; incivility 
atoned for by Col. Sheaffe ; the Helms reach their home and 
friends ; 102 :— Mrs. Helm's remarks about Captain Heald ; pris- 



10 'Table: of contents. 

oners and citizens, scattered among the Indians, are alleged to be 
generally ransomed; 108: — Fate of Mrs. Burns and baby; child seen 
in after years by Mrs. Kinzie ; fate of the Lee family ; Black Part- 
ridge wants to marry the widow; the young raccoon; 104: — Madame 
du Pin ; Naunongee and Sergeant Hays kill each other ; 106. 

Chapter VL John Kinzie's Captivity. — America never a 
military nation ; gloomy opening of 1813 ; early losses and later 
gains ; 107 : — Prisoners ransomed in Detroit ; Kinzies try to help 
the helpless ; 108 : —John Kinzie suspected of spying ; repeatedly 
arrested by the English and released by the Indians; ironed and 
imprisoned ; 109 : — Catches a glimpse of Perry's victory on Lake 
Erie ; sent on to Quebec ; 110 : — Strange release ; returns to De- 
troit, where, with Kee-po-tah, he welcomes Gen. Harrison ; 112. 

Chapter VII. Contemporaneous Reports. — Progress of 
the press since 1812 ; Niles' Weekly Register our main authority ; 
113 : — First published statement of the massacre ; the schooner 
Queen Charlotte ; 114 :— Absurd story regarding Mrs. Helm ; 
115 : — Still more absurd story, signed Walter Jordan ; 116 : — Pos- 
sible leaven of truth ; 117 : — Nine survivors reported arrived at 
Plattsburgh from Quebec ; 118 : — Familiar names ; harrowing tales 
they told ; 119 : — Pitiable fate of Mrs. Neads and her child, Kin- 
zie family return to Chicago, where the bones of the massacre vic- 
tims are buried by the soldiers sent to build the new fort ; 120 : — 
Letter from Fernando Jones ; 121 : — Solution of the Indian prob- 
lem treated; 122: — Present condition of the Pottowatomies; 123: — 
Wonderful progress in five generations ; speculations concerning 
the renewed interest in these old tales ; 124 : — Sculptured memen- 
toes of the past slowly being provided by public-spirited citizens ; 
Lambert Tree, Martin Ryerson and EH Bates ; George M. Pull- 
man's splendid bronze group of the massacre ; 126 : — Eugene Hall's 
verses at the unveiling of the Block-house Tablet in 1881. 



ArriCNDix. 

A. PoiNTR Die vSaiui.K.— iMist settler. 100 years after Mar- 
quette etc.; i:i3:— Col. de Peyster mentions liini in 177H in his 
"Miscellanies," Burns's verses to De Peyster ; i:M :— De P. also 
mentions (^eor^e Rogers Clark, la.V.-De P's verses; i:}«i :— His 
foot-uoles. naming Chicago; what is known ahout De Saihle ; 
137 ;_R. G. Mason's remarks ahout him a:i«l Sliauhena ; i:58 — 
Perish Griguon vWis. Hist. vSoc. Collection) on the s ime subject; 

139 :_Guesses as to the character and fortunes of De vSaible ; 

140 :_"/»<;/«/ dc Sablr,'' no sand. 

B. Fort Dkakburn Records at Washington —Probable 
reason why records are scanty ; 143 :— Letter from Gen. Dearborn, 
Secretary of War ; statement compiled from the adjutant-general's 
records ; memorandum of the destruction ; order for rebuilding ; 
successive commanders ; evacuation of 1823 ; 144 :— Re-occupation 
in 1S28 ; Major Whistler ordered to Fort Dearborn ; final evacua- 
tion in 183G ; 145 :— Demolition of fort in 1856 ; old paper found, 
dating from first fort ; familiar names ; 140 :— One building sur- 
vived until the great fire of 1871 ; the Waubansa stone ; 147 :— 
Daniel Webster speaks from its summit ; its later vicissitudes ; 
148 :— Who were the victims of Aug. 15, 1812 ? Oblivion the usual 
fate of martyrs ; 149 :— INIuster and pay-roll of 1810, the last now 
existing ; 150. 

C. The Whistler Family.— Gardner's Military Dictionary 
gives items of old John Whistler, the Burgoyne sohlier ; suggestion 
that in Heald's place he might have avoided the disaster ; his de- 
scendants ; Mrs. William Whistler and her daughter. Gwenthlean 
Whistler Kinzie ; ]Mrs. General Sheridan ; 153 : — Mrs. Whistler's 
visit to Chicago in 1875 , 154 -.—Her reminiscences ; 155 :— Whistler 
descendants in the army ; 156. 

1). The Kinzie FAMiLV.-John Kinzie's origin and youth; 
157 :!_The Forsyths , Blanchard's story of the McKeuzie girls; 
IDS :— Margaret, mother of some Kinzies and some Halls; Plliza- 
bcth, molirer of some Clarks and some Clybourns ; 100 :— The 
bend sinister ; John marries Eleanor (Lytle) McKillip and comes 
to Chicago ; 101 :— Extent of his trade ; his continued relations 
with Detroit ; 102 :— His daughter-in-law. Juliette (Magill) Kinzie, 
writer of Wau Bun , returu after the massacre; 163 :— His losses; 

11 



12 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

pathetic letter to his son, Johu Harris Kinzie ; 164 : — His papers 
burned in 1871 ; 165 : — Inestimable services as treaty -maker ; their 
partial recognition in treaty of 1828 ; 165 : — His hospitality ; 166 : — 
Visit of Gov. Cass ; 167 :— Winnebago scare ; 168 :— ICnd of the old 
pioneer ; Hubbard's narrative of his closing moments ; 169 : — Dis- 
appearance of the ancient mansion ; 170 : — Mrs. Nellie Kinzie Gor- 
don ; 171: — Heroic death in battle of John Harris Kinzie, Jr. ; 
173. 

E. The Wei.lS and the Heai;d Famii^ies.— William Wells's 
captivity among the Indians ; Wa-nan-ga-peth, daughter of Me- 
che-kan-nah-qua, and her Wells descendants ; 173 : — William figlit- 
ing on the Indians' side ; Rebekah (Wells) Heald's story of her 
reclamation of her "Indian uncle;" 174: — His parting with his 
red father-in-law ; later history of Me-che-kan-nah-qua, or Ivittle 
Turtle ; his presentation to Washington ; 175 : — Rebekah meets 
Nathan Heald at Fort Wayne; 176: — A. H. Edwards's anecdotes 
about Captain Wells ; 177 : — Family feeling of Wells's descend- 
ants ; the Heald massacre relics shown ; 179 : — Masonic record of 
Nathan Heald ; his letter of Oct. 13, 1812, reporting the massacre ; 
180 :— Letter on official business. May 18, 1812 ; 181 :— Remarks 
thereon ; 182 : — Death of his niece, Mrs. Edwards, while this book 
is printing ; 183. 

F. John Lai^ime. — Portents of the massacre ; rivalry between 
government and civilian traders ; 185 : — Factions in the garrison ; 
traits of John Lalime ; 186 : — His letters ; retort of Main Poc ; Miss 
Noke-no-qua ; 187 : — Lalime's attack on John Kinzie ; Gurdon 
Hubbard's letter about it ; Victoire (Mirandeau) Porthier's story ; 
189 : — Garrison acquits Kinzie but buries Lalime in sight of the old 
house ; 190 : — Discovery of a skeleton in 1891 ; 191 : — Reasons for 
thinking it that of Lalime ; 192 : — Facts learned from Fernando 
Jones, Judge Blodgett, Hon. John C. Haines and others ; St. James' 
church-yard ; 193 :— Letters from Fernando Jones, Hon, John C. 
Haines and Doctors Hosmer and Freer ; 194-195. 

G. Reminiscences of A. H. Edwards.— Letter to John 
Wentworth ; story of a girl who was one of the scalped children ; 
bare spot on her head ; 197 : — She the daughter of John Cooper 
who is named in the muster-roll ; 198 : — Married a Detroiter named 
Farnum; 199. 

H. BiLivY Cai^dweIvL, the Sauganash. — His traits, good 
and bad ; 201 : — He and Shabonee write a letter about General 
Harrison ; 202. 



k 



TAHLE OF CONTHNTS. 13 

1. Farhwuix War-Danck of Till-: Indians. — Treaty of 1883; 
Latrobe's impressions of Cliicago ; liUiJ : — Hx-Cliief-Justice Caton 
describes the war dance ; 20') : — " Farewell Indians ! " iiOO. 

K. TiiK Bronzic MiiMORiAi, CiRoup. — Where the massacre 
occurred ; cunmlative testimony identifying the spot ; letters fnjin 
JMrs. Henry W. King, Isaac N. Arnold, A. J. Galloway, INIrs. Mary 
Clark Williams, and Robert G. Clarke ; 207-210 :— The design of 
the group, and the designer, Carl Rohl-vSmith : lucky chance gives 
two savages, " Kicking Bear " and " Short Bull," to serve as mod- 
els for the figures ; characteristic bearing of the savage models ; 
bas-reliefs for pedestal, the fort interior, the evacuation, the fight, 
death of Captain Wells; dedicatory inscription ; 211 ; — Memorial 
fit to stand for centuries ; 212. 

List of Ili^ustrations ; 15. 

Al^PHABETlCAI. iNDliX ; 213. 



f 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Flag of distress; 14. 

ChiciiKo in 1812; 20. 

Jesuit missionary; 53. 

Mo-clie-kan-nah-quah ; 55. 

Gen. Anthony Wayne- 56. 

Win. Whistler; 58. 

Mrs. Wm. Whistler; 59 

Charles Jonett; 02. 

Redcoat of 1812; 65. 

Oltl Fort Dearborn; 67. 

Cabin in the Woods; 71. 

Kinzie mansion in 1812; 73. 

Human Scalp; 75. 

Indkin Warrior; 77. 

Squaw; 86. 

Black Partridge Medal; 91. 

William Wells; 94. 

Chief Robinson; 101. 

New fort, River and Kinzie 

House (Wau-Bun); 111. 
Massacre tree; 18th St.; 113. 
Second Block-house in its last 

days; 120. 
Block House Tablet; 125. 
Beaubien fiddle and Calumet; 

127. 
Emigrants with wagon; 129. 
Cock crow; 133. 
Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La- 

Salle; 134. 
George Rogers Clark, late in 

life; 135. 
Shaubena; 139. 
Map of new Harbor; 142. 
Drummer ; 143. 



Interior of Fort (1850), Lake 
House in distance; 145. 

Waubansa stone and Great Fire 
relics; 117. 

Wild onion; 151. 

CAventhlean (Whistler) Kin/.ie; 

153. 
James Kinzie (autograph); 160. 
Samuel Miller (autograph); 161. 
Juliette Kinzie; 163. 
John Harris Kinzie in 1827; 164. 
John Kinzie (autograph); 165. 
John Harris Kinzie late in life; 

166. 
Robert Allen Kinzie, 107. 
Kinzie Mansion as given in 

Wau-Bun; 168. 
Mrs. Nellie ( Kinzie) Gordon ; 171 . 
John Harris Kinzie Jr.; 172. 
Indian Mother and pappoose; 

173. 
Darius Heald with massacre 

relics; 179. 
Massacre tree and Pullman 

house ; 184. 
Cyclone; 185. 
Skeleton; 186. 
The late Calumet Club House; 

196. 
Sauganash Hotel; 200. 
Me tee-a, a signer of the treaty 

of 1821; 202. 
Indian War-dance, August 18, 

1S35; 204. 
Chi-ca-gou ; 212. 



15 



The GiiiGAGO Massacre or 1512 

IN TWO PARTS AND AN APTIvNDIX. 



TART I. 
Saturday, Augi'ST Fifteenth, isi!>— Narrativks ok thk 

Massacre. 



PART II. 

Historical and Biograi'Hicai,— IIow thic Fort and City 

WERE Begun, and Who were the Beginners. 



APPENDIX. 
A.— John Baptiste Pointe de Saible. 
B.— Fort Dearborn in thic War Department. 
C— The Whistler I*amily. 
D. — Thi-: Kinzie Family. 
E.— The Wells and Heald Families. 
F.— The Bones of John Lalime. 
G.— Letters From A. H. Edwards. 
H— Billy Caldwi-ll, "The Sauganash." 
I.— Indian War Dance. 
K. — The Bronze Memorial Group. 



PART P'^IRST. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1- 1 1"'l'i:i:.\Tl 1 , IM'J. 




I IIv niorninc^ of Fort Dearborn's 
latal day dawiiL-d l)rij;lit and clear 
ovur Lake Michigan and the 
sandy flat. The "reveille" donbt- 
less was sonnded loeforc sun-rise; 
and one can imagine the rattle 
of the drum and scream of the 
fife as they broke tlie dewy stillness 
and floated away, over the sand-spit 
and out on the lake ; across the 
river to the Kinzie house and its 
outbuilding, the Ouillemette house ; 
and up stream to the Indian en- 
campments, large, dark and lower- 
ing. Quite possibly the tune then 
prescribed was the same as that 
now used for the drum-fife reveille, 
together with the words that have 
attached themselves to it of late j-ears: 

Wake ye lazy soldiers, rouse up and be killed, 
Hard tack and salt horse, get your gizzard filled, 

Then go to fighting — fire your forty round — 
Fall dead and lay there buried under ground. 

If this time-honored (and much hated) tune has come 
down to us from so long, the words had on that morning 
a significance even more perfect than ihat ordinarily- 
belonging to them. 

Early the company cooks must have been at work, 
boiling whole barrels of salt pork which liad been in 

19 



20 'The Chicago massacre oe 1812. 

soak for days beforehand, and as much fresh beef as 
could possibly be used before spoiling. Bread had doubt- 
less been baked and packed earlier in the week, and now 
all imaginable preparations for a march of nearly a month 
must be completed and the utensils packed and loaded 
into the company wagons. At each of the other, smaller 
households outside the fort similar toils and cares were 
going on. How were the lately weaned little ones to be 
cared for ? Perhaps some parents hoped that they could 
drive their milch-cows with the caravan, seeing that 
grass was plenty and progress would be necessarily slow. 
What did the prospective mothers hope and fear? The 
wife of Phelim Corbin ; how did she arm her soul for the 
month of rough travel, with the travail of child birth as 
one of its terrors ? 

Certainly the happiest of the crowd were the uncon- 
scious little ones, sure of love and care, full of hope and 
curiosity — a round dozen of them in one wagon, begin- 
ning the first journey of their innocent lives — the first 
and last. Fancy the mothers tucking them inl The 
eager little faces upturned for good-bye kisses! 

All the workers might have spared themselv^es their 
trouble. If they were thinking of their cows, the crack 
of the Indian rifles soon ended that care. The food was 
enough and to spare ; not a morsel of it did they ever 
eat. The journey of a month dwindled to a tramp of 
an hour ; and as to the precious children 

Captain William Wells had come, with thirty friendly 
Indians (Miamis) to guard and help them through their 
long, lonely tramp to Detroit. He was a white man, the 
uncle of the commandant's young wife (Rebekah Wells 
Heald), but had been stolen when a boy by the Indians 
and brought up by them ; had married a chief's daughter 
and had fought on their side until, years ago, this same 
young niece had gone to him and persuaded him to come 



SATURDAY. ATOrST 1- 1 FT Hi: NT II 



2\ 



back to his own kith .ind kin. St) -iny fears the helpless 
settlers ini,i;ht have telt at first coiiM now surely be init 
aside— Wells was so strong, so brave, so well accjuainted 
with the Indians! He could doubtless keep them in 
order, either by policy or by force. 

But if all was well, why had Captain Wells blackened 
his face — that is, put on the Indian siL;n of war and 
(leath— before starting that mc^rnini-;? All accounts 
agree that he did so, and usually it is taken as having 
been a sign of consciousness of impending death. Mrs. 
Helnr^ seems to have regarded it in this light. The 
question can never be settled, but to me it seems to have 
been an act of policy ; an effort to identify himself with 
his Miamis and other friendly Indians. Wau-Bun adds 
the gruesome and almost incredible story that the start 
out was made to the music of the dead march! As Mrs. 
Helm was on horseback with the column she must have 
known, and we can but take her word for it. 

The large herd of beef-cattle was left to the savages. 
This was probably the most precious gift of all put in 
their hands by the abandonment of the post. The liquor, 
if it had been left, would have been their bane, and the 
fire-arms the mere instruments of mutual destruction. 
The clothes must wear out, the flour be eaten up, the 
tools and furniture useless, the paints and gew-gaws a 
fleeting joy ; but the herd ! This would be self-sustain- 
ing, self-perpetuating, a perennial fount of blessing and 
mine of wealth. Here were food, clothing, shoes for 
this year and all years to come. No tribe or nation of 
their race had ever possessed such a treasure. How did 
they avail themselves of it ? Wau-Bun answers: 



*Margartt Helm, wife of Lieutenant Helm, and step-daughter of old John 
Kinzie. has hitherto been the main— almost the only-source of knowledge 
about the massacre. She told the story twenty years after its occurrence, 
to Mrs. John H. Kinzie, who embodied it in her romantic narrative "Wau- 
Bun," published about twenty-two years later still. 



22 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

The fort had become a scene of plunder to such as remained 
after the troops moved out. The cattle had been shot down as the}' 
ran at large and lay dead or dying around. This work of butchery 
had commenced just as we were leaving the fort. 

No more characteristic bit of Indian painting has ever 
been made than that given in these few words. Here was 
the native savage (not ignorant of wiser ways, for he had 
had the thrifty white man under his eyes for four genera- 
tions) still showing himself in sense a child, in strength 
a man, and in cruelty a fiend incarnate. 

Mrs. Helm continues: 

I well remember a remark of Ensign Ronan, as the firing went 
on. "Such," turning tome, "is to be our fate — to be shot down 
like beasts." 

"Well, sir," said the commanding officer, who overheard him, 
"are you afraid ?" 

" No," replied the high-spirited young man, " I can march up to 
the enemy where you dare not show your face !*' And his subse- 
quent gallant behavior showed this to be no idle boast. 

Unconsciously Mrs. Helm, in this artless tale told to 
glorify the younger officer, awakens in our minds a feel- 
ing of dislike for him. That a youth, scarce two years 
put of West Point, should add an ill-timed insult to the 
heavy cares of his senior officer, a soldier of thirteen years 
service, must be shocking to every one. Seeing that 
within two hours he was to die in action, bravel}^ doing 
his duty (in company with his senior similarly engaged 
and sorely wounded) we can readily forgive his error, 
but not without a protest against a foolish woman's fool- 
ish effort to make it out a noble and praiseworthy outburst. 

Mrs. Heald's narrative''^ (though fortified by Captain 
Heald's letter, quoted later) seems less probable than the 

*Itis a curious fact that all our direct informatiou concerning the events of 
that day comes from two women— Mrs. Lieutenant Helm, who has been already 
mentioned, and Mrs. Captain Heald. Both these young wives will receive more 
detailed mention a little further on. Mrs. Heald's account has never been pub- 
lished before. I give it as taken down in short-hand from the lips of her sou, 
the Hon. Darius Heald of O'Fallon, Missouri, in the summer of 1892. 



SATIRDAV, AlliUST l' 1 1 TIJCN Til . 2)5 

foregoiii.i; circuiu.staiitial accDiint in Wan - liiiii. Slit- 
says : 

The fori »vas vacated tiuiclly, not a cross word bciii^ passed be- 
tween soldiers and Indians, an«l j^ood-byes were exchanged. Not 
an oflTuer objected to leaving. Nobody objected l>nt Kin/.ie, who 
di 1 so for personal reasons. Kverything left was divided anionj^ 
the Indians who were there, and a party of them escorted the 
whites out of the fort, these Indians being the ones who took no 
interest in tlie light, although they may have known something 
about it. The general impression among the ofTicers (and this was 
Cap'ain Heald's idea also) was that the Indians who took their 
shaie when the things were distributed at the fort, had no part in 
the massacre. 

Captain Heald's force consisted of fifty-four regular 
soldiers and twelve inilitia-nien, and witli them departed 
every white inhabitant of the little settlement, men, 
women and children — probal^ly about thirty in all — rang- 
ing in social condition from the prosperous Kinzies to the 
humble discharged soldiers who had married and started 
to make a living by tilling the soil, etc. 

The Kinzie family was to go by boat, skirting along 
the lake and keeping in touch with the land column as 
long as it should hug the shore; later ascending the St, 
Joseph's River to "Bertrand." or "Parc-aux-vaches," as 
it was called, in memory of its having been the cow-past- 
ure of the oM French-Canadian settlement and fort which 
had stood on the bank of that river a century or so ago. 
The boat-party consisted of Mrs. John Kinzie, her son, 
John H., born at Sandwich, Canada, July 7, 1S03. ^"^1 
her other children— Ellen Marion (later Airs. Alexander 
Wolcott), born in Chicago, December, 1805; ]Maria Indi- 
ana (later Mrs. General Hunter), born in Chicago, in 
1807, and Robert A., born in Chicago in 18 10. Her 
daughter by a previous marriage, Margaret McKillip, 
was, it will be remembered, now the wife of Lieutenant 
Helm, and she bravely elected to share the perils of the 
land-march with her husband. There was also in the boat 



24 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

the nurse, Josette (misprinted in Wau-Bun, "Grutte"*) 
I^aframboise (afterward Mrs. Jean Baptiste Beaubien), a 
clerk of Mr. Kinzie's, two servants, the boatman, and two 
Indians as guard. This shows that the boat must have 
been neither a bark canoe nor a common "dug-out" or 
"pirogue," but a large bateau, capable of carrying these 
numerous passengers, with corresponding baggage and 
supplies. 

To-pee-nee-be, a friendly Indian, chief of the St. Jo- 
seph's band, early in the morning of the fatal day, had 
warned John Kinzie that trouble was to come from the 
"escort" which Captain Heald had bargained for with 
the Pottowatomies in council, and had urged him to go 
in the boat with hig family. But the old frontiersman was 
built of too sturdy stuff to take such advice. If there was 
to be danger he must share it, and if help would avail he 
must give it; so he rode with the column. 

First rode out Captain William Wells, hero-martyr, 
marching, probably consciously, to a doom self-inflicted 
under the impulse of human sympathy and soldierly 
honor. Following him were half of his mounted escort 
of Miami Indians, followed in their turn by the volunteers 
and such of the regulars as were able to bear arms. Next 
came the short train of wagons, with stores, supplies, 
camp-equippage, women, children, sick, wounded and 
disabled. This little caravan contained all there was to 
show for eight years of industry and privation. But what 
mattered it? Greater savings would only have meant 
greater loss, and more men, women and children would 
only have meant more suffering and death. 

*In the Story of Chicago is given the followiuglac7ii^le to show how read- 
ily the name "Josette" might have been read "Grutte," 




SATURDAY, AUGUST l" irTia-NTlI. 25 

The rear-guard was composed of the remainder of Cap- 
tain Wells's wretched Miamis, such reliance as is a broken 
reed. The Miamis were mounted, as were Captain WY-lls, 
Mr. Kin/.io, Mrs. Ilcald and Mrs. Helm, but probably no 
others of the part v. 

The day continuetl l)ri.L,^lU and sunny, and the line 
must have stretched from the fort (about the south end of 
Rush vStreet bridge) perhaps to the present Madison 
Street, halfway to the point where began the sand-dunes 
or low hills wliich, even within the memory of the pres- 
ent generation, skirted the shores down as far as the be- 
ginning of the oak woods of Hyde Park. The bateau fol- 
lowed in the rear of the column and had just reached the 
mouth of the river (where the foot of Madison street now 
is*) when a messenger from To-pe-nee-be brought the 
Kinzie party to a halt. 

The column had marched parallel with the Pottowat- 
omie ''escort" until both bodies reached the sand-hills. 
Then the whites kept by the shore-road, while the Indians, 
veering slightly to their right, put the sand-hills between 
their crowd and the slim, weak line of troops and wagons. 

The reports of the fight itself, given by the two wit- 
nesses on whom we must rely, do not differ materially 
from each other. Mrs. Helm's narrative naturally treats 
more fully of the Kinzie family's experiences; Mrs. 
Heald's more fully of her own adventures and the death 
of her uncle. Neither woman mentions the other; they 
were probably separated early. I will give the stories in 
turn, beginning with Mrs. Helm's. 

MARGARET HELM's STORY. 

The boat started, but had scarcely reached the mouth of the 
river, which, it will be recollected, was here half a mile below the 



*The river then made a turn southward just ea?t of the fort, and only fo'.ind 
an entrance to the lake across the south end of a long sand-bar, the coutiuu. 
ation of the shore of the North Side. 




26 



SATIRDAY, AUGUST rilTKKNTH. -^ 

fort, uhcti anoliicr iiicssciij^er from To-pc-ncc-be arrived to dL-tain 
tlifin wliLTc till \ will-. In bicalliless expectation sal the wife ami 
niDlher. She was a wonian of luuoininon energy and strenj^th of 
character, yet hrr heart died within her as she fohled her arms 
aronnd her helpless infants and ga/.ed on the march of herhnsband 
and her elilest child [Mrs. IlelmJ to certain destrnction. 

Thev had marched jjcrhaps a mile and a half [l''<>urteenlh 
Street], when Captain Wells, who had kept somewhat in ad- 
vance of his IMiiinis, came riding fnrionsly back. "They are 
abont to attack us!" he shouted. "Form instantly and charge 
upon them." Scarcely were the words uttered when a volley was 
showered from among the sand-hills. The troops were hastily 
brought into line and charged up the bank. One man, a veteran of 
seventy winters, fell as they ascended. 

After we had left the 1) ink the firing became general. The 
IMiamis iled at the outset. Their chief rode up to the I'ottowato- 
mies and said: "You have deceived the Americans and us. You 
have done a bad action, and"(brandishing his tomahawk. 'I will be 
the first to hsad a party of Americans to return and punisn your 
treachery." So saying he galloped after his companions, who were 
now scouring across the prairies. 

Mrs. Helm does not say that she heard these words 

when littered, nor is it probable that she could have been 

within hearing distance of the very head of the col- 

nnm, or even could have understood the words unless 

(what most unlikely) they were uttered in English. 

The whole circumstance looks apocryphal — probably 

a later Indian fabrication. 

The troops behaved most gallantly. They were but a handful, 
but they seemed resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. 
C)ur horses pranced and bounded and could hardly be restrained as 
the balls whistled among them. I drew off a little and gazed upon 
my husband and father, who were yet unharmed. [ felt that my 
hour was come, and endeavored to forget those I loved and prepare 
myself for my approaching fate. 

This seems to be the moment where her narrative 
diverges from that of Mrs. Heald, who evidently followed 
the troops, as she was caught between a cross-fire of the 
Indians, whom the advance had left on its flanks and 



28 THE CHICAGO MASSACBE OF 1 8 12. 

rear, and there received her wounds. Mrs. Helm's sub- 
sequent narrative shows that she was, when rescued, un- 
wounded and near the lake. 

While I was thus engaged, the surgeon, Dr. Van Voorhees, came 
up. He was badly wounded. His horse was shot under him and 
he had received a ball in his leg. Bvery muscle of his face was 
quivering with the agony of terror. He said to me : 

"Do you think they will take our lives? I am badly wounded, 
but I think not mortally. Perhaps we might purchase our lives 
by promising a large reward. Do you think there is any chance ?" 

"Dr. Van Voorhees," said I, "do not let us waste the few moments 
that yet remain to us in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In 
a few minutes we must appear before the bar of God. Let us make 
what preparation is yet in our power." 

"O, I cannot die !" exclaimed he. " I am not fit to die — if I had 
but a short time to prepare — death is awful !" 

I pointed to Ensign Ronan, who, though mortally wounded and 
nearly down, was still fighting with desperation on one knee. 
" Look at that man," said I; "at least he dies like a soldier." 

"Yes," replied the unfortunate man, with a gasp, "but he has no 
terrors of the future. He is an unbeliever." 

When we read this remarkable dialogue — remarkable 
as occurring amid the rattle of musketry on a battle-field 
where the narrators' friends were perishing in a hopeless 
struggle with an overpowering force of savage foes — we 
remember that Mrs. Kinzie's book did not assume to be 
history; was not written as a grav'e and literal record of 
things as they were; a statement carefully scrutinized to 
see that no unjust slur is cast upon any character, even 
so unimportant a one as the poor wounded, dying sur- 
geon. Mrs. Helm, on the dreadful day, was a mere girl- 
wife of seventeen years, and was a woman of thirty-seven 
when Mrs. Kinzie transcribed the artless tale into Wau- 
Bun, a book which reads like a romance, and was meant 
so to be read. 

The utterance of these admirable sentiments while still 
in sight of Ensign Ronan, mortally wounded, yetfighting 
with desperation on one knee, again puts us in doubt as 



SATITKD.W, AUGUST II !• TKKNTII. 



29 



to Mrs. Helm's location on llu- IkUl; biil the next part <^( 
her story allows tliat slie was not far from the water. 

At this nu)iii''til :i youiij; Indian raised his tomahawk al nic. P.v 
sprinj^ini^ aside 1 avi)i<k-d {he hh)\v, which was intciidcd for njy 
skull, but which alij^htcd on my shoulder. I seized him around the 
nock, and while exerting; my utmost efforts to <.,'et possession of his 
scalpin^-knife, which huni,' in a scabbard over his breast, I was 
dra<.(.<;ed from his j^rasp by anotherand an older Indian. The latter 
bore me stru!j;s.cling and resisting toward the lake. Notwithstanding 
the rai)idity with which I was hurried along, I recogiiizcd, as I 
passed them, the remains of the luifortunate surgeon. Some mur- 
derous tomahawk had stretched him upon the very spot where I had 
last seen him. 

I was inunediately plunged into the water and held there with a 
forcible hand, notwithstanding my resistance. I soon perceived, 
however, that the object of my captor was not to drown me, for he 
held me firmly in such a position as to place my head above water. 
This reassured me, and regarding him attentively I soon recog- 
nized, in spite of the paint with which he was disguised, VVu^ Black 
Part) idgc. 

This picttiresque narrative of the resctie of a young 
bride by a friendly Indian, has been justly regarded as 
the one romantic story connected with that dark and 
bloody day. It has been the chosen theme of the story- 
teller, the painter and the sculptor, and its portrayed in 
perennial bronze forms the theme of the magnificent 
group which has been designed and modeled by the 
sculptor, Carl Rohl-Smith, cast in bronze, and pre- 
sented ^Jnne, 1S93), witli appropriate ceremonies, to the 
Chicago Historical Society, "in trust for the city and 
for posterity," as set forth by an inscription on its 
granite base.--' 

Mrs. Helm goes on: 

When the firing had nearly subsided my preserver bore me from 
the water and conducted me up the sand-banks. It was a burning 
August morning, and walking through the sauil in my drenched 
condition was inexpressibly painful and fatiguing. I stooped and 



*See .Appendix K. 



30 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

took off my shoes to free them from the sand with which they were 
nearly filled, when a squaw seized and bore them off, and I was 
obliged to proceed without them. 

When we had gained the praiiie [probably at about Twelfth 
Street] I was met by my father [her stepfather, John Kinzie], who 
told me that my husband was safe, but slightly wounded. They 
led me gently back toward the Chicago River, along the southern 
bank of which was the Pottowatomie encampmsut. Atone time I 
was placed on a horse without a saddle, but fiudirg the motion in- 
supportable, I sprang off. Supported partly by my kind conductor, 
Black Partridge, and partly by another Indian, Pee-so-tum, who 
held dangling in his hand a scalp which, by the black ribbon 
around the queue, I recognized as that of Captain Wells, I dragged 
my fainting steps to one of the wigwams. The wife of Wah-bee- 
nee-mah, a chief from the Illinois River, was standing near, and see- 
ing my exhausted condition, she seized a kettle, dipped up some 
water from the stream that flowed near [the slough that emptied 
into the main river at about the south end of State Street bridge], 
tlirew into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up with her hand, 
gave it to me to drink. This act of kindness in the midst of so 
many horrors touched me most sensibly, but my attention was 
soon diverted to other objects. 

The whites had surrendered after the loss of about two-thirds 
their number. They had stipulated, through the interpreter, 
Peresh Leclerc, for the preservation of their lives and those of 
the remaining women and children, and for their delivery at some 
of the British posts, unless ransomed by traders in the Indian coun- 
tr}'. It appears that the wounded prisoners were not considered as 
included in the stipulation, and a horrible scene ensued on their 
being brought into camp. An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of 
friends, or excited by the sanguinary scenes around her, seemed pos- 
sessed by a demoniac ferocity. She seized a stable-fork and assaulted 
one miserable victim wdio lay groaning and writhing in the agony of 
his wounds, aggravated by the scorching beams of the sun. With 
a delicacy of feeling scarcely to have been expected under such 
circumstances, Wa-bee-nee-mah stretched a mat across two poles, 
between me and the deadful scene. I was thus spared, in some 
degree, a view of its horrors, although I could not entirely close 
my ears to the cries of the sufferer. 

The disgrace attaching to the British government in 
seeking alliance with such savages in a war against civil- 



SATUKDAV, ATcrST i" I i-Ti:i:NTn 



:;i 



ized bciii<;s of its own race, is clscwlu-n- fully trciitcd. 
One can only wish that those cries nn.L;ht have reached 
the women of all I'^n^land. instead of falling frnitlessl> «)n 
those of one ])oor, exhansled. hclidess Ainericnn ^irl.aud 
of the red hell-spawn grinning and dancing with (klight 

at the huinid. 

Such is the tale as first given to the world by Mrs. 
Kinzie in "Wan-lUm." I will now present the narra- 
tive of the same struggle, defeat, surrender and massacre 
as often told bv Mrs. Captain Heald to her son, the lion. 
Darius Heald. and l)y him to me. The two are not, 
in essentials, contradictory ; each completes and rounds 

out the other. 

After giving the account of the peaceable start from 
the fort (inconsistent with Mrs. Helm's story, already 
quoted, and less truth-seeming than the latter), she goes 
on to say: 

REBHKAH IIEALD'S STORY. 

Captain Wells' escort was mounted on Indian ponies. Captain 
Wells himself was mounted on a thoroughbred. INIrs. Heald and 
Mrs. Helm were also on horseback, the former on her own beloved 

Kentucky horse. 

They advanced, Wells and his escort getting about a quarter of 
a mile ahead, ai.d were jogging along quietly when all at once 
they halted, and he turned back and got down pretty close to 
Captain Heald— perhaps half the distance. He pulled off his hat 
and swung it around his head once or twice, making a circle. As 
soon as he saw Wells coming back, Captain Heald said to his 
wife: "Uncle sees something ahead of him there. There is 
something wrong." And when he made the circle around his 
head, Mrs. Heald understood the sign, " We are surrounded hy 
Indians." Captain Wells soon got close enough to shout "We 
are surrounded by Indians. March iq) on the sand-ridges. There 
are sand-ridges we ought to get in behind where we can stand half 
up and not be seen." Then she saw the Indians' heads " sticking 
up and down again, here and there, like turtles out of the water." 
They marched up on the sand-ridges, the wagons being put back 
next to the lake and the men taking position in front of them. 



32 THE CHICAGO MASSACRK OF l8l2. 

Captain Wells shouted to Captain Heald, " Charge them ! " and 
then led on and broke the ranks of the Indians, who scattered 
right and left. He then whirled round and charged to the left. 
This move brought them well out into the country, and they 
marched onward and took position about two or three hundred 
yards in front of the wagons and a like distance from the Indians, 
Captain Heald rather gave way to Cap'ain Wells, knowing his 
superior excellence in Indian warfare. Wells having been trained 
from childhood by such warriors as Little Turtle, Tecumseh and 
Black Hawk ; especially by the first two. 

Here to the eye of common-sense, whether soldierly or 
civilian, the battle is already gone — lost beyond salva- 
tion. The onus of blame appears to rest on poor Wells, 
the brave, devoted voltinteer. He had learned war in a 
school that took no account of the supply-train ; in the 
school of individual fighters, living on nothing, saving 
no wounded or non-combatants ; dash, scurry, kill, scalp 
and run away, every man for himself — and the devil take 
the hindmost — in other words the Indian system. As to 
this band of whites, what had it to fight for but its train 
of wagons with all the helpless ones, all the stores, all 
the ammunition, all the means of progress and of caring 
for the wounded ? To charge the centre of a brave, un- 
formed rabble which outflanks you is only heroic suicide 
at best, and when the doing so leaves the train at the 
mercy of the spreading flanks of the foe, it is fatal madness. 

To return to the Heald narrative: 

Another charge was made which enabled Captain Wells to get 
a little closer to the Indians. He had two pistols and a small gun. 
His bullets and powder were kept in shoulder belts, hung at con- 
venient places, and he generally had an extra bullet in his mouth, 
which helped him to load fast when necessary. He could pour in 
a little powder, wad it down, "blow in " the bullet, prime and fire 
more quickly than one can tell the facts. The Indians broke from 
him right and left. The hottest part of the battle lasted but a few 
minutes, but Captain Heald' s little band was cut down. He gave 
the signal for surrender ; the chiefs came together and they made 
a compromise. ^ 



SATrKDAV, ATCrST KIlTHKNTH. -53 

By this tiinr Wells. Roiian and \ an XOihccs ulmc 
kilk'd, IlcaUl had a hiilkl in his liij), Mrs. Ik-aM had a 
half dozen wonnds, half ihc rc-L;nlars wire- killed or 
wounded, and so far as we now know for certain, all 
twelve niililia-nien. (A douht about this last named 
unexplained mortality, and su'-i:^estion as to the probable 
manner nl their death, will be ntUed later.) Darius 

Heald could only sa\ : 

Afterwards, in talking; tlic niatUr over, Captain Nathan HcaM 
said that he had no confidence in the Inchans. t)nt that he had 
done -the best he conld do ; that in fifteen niinntes tncjre the last 
man wonld have been killed, as they had no chance at all ; his 
men were falling rapiilly. and he himself was wonnded in the hip 
by a one-onnce ball. That ball was never extracted, and caused 
his death twenty years afterward. 

In any circumstances, one camiot cast blame on a 
beaten commander, nci^otiatin*^ with his victorious foes, 
while bleeding from a bullet deep-bedded in his hip-joint. 
In this case, it is not likely that blame would be due, 
even if Captain Heald had been unhurt. But for his 
surrender, the Chicago Massacre would have been, on a 
small scale, the fore-runner of the great Custer slaughter, 
where not a wdiite man lived to tell the tale. Every 
man, woman and child of white blood (except pe'rhaps 
the Kinzies and Lieutenant Helm), would now be in 
oblivion almost as if they had never been born. Even 
the "massacre tree" that stands today (1893) in 
Eighteenth street near the lake, in gaunt, leafle.ssold age, 
could only have been identified by the bleacning skulls, 
great and small, whicb surrounded it when General Cass 
passed the spot a few years afterward. 

Here we take up again Mrs. Heald' s personal story: 

After the fighting commenced, Mrs. Heald tnrned back and 
ascended a httle elevation between the army and the wagons. She 
saw a young, fine-looking officer fall [probably Lieutenant Ronan] 
and thonc^ht it was her husband, and was under this impression 
until after the fight was over. Just before the surrender, she got 



34 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

up iu range of the bullets coming from Indians on both sides of 
her. She did not know whether the Indians aimed at her or not, 
but she was wounded in six places, one hand being rendered help- 
less, the ball passing between the two bones of her arm. Her son 
has seen the scar a thousand times. 

I have remarked that Mrs. Heald does not mention 
the presence of Mrs. Hehn, nor does the latter that of 
the former. We jtidge from this, and from Mrs. Helm's 
account of her being saved by being plunged in the lake, 
that the latter remained nearer the shore than did the 
other. 

DEATH OF CAPTAIN WELLS, 

Captain Wells, who was shot through the lungs, rode up and 
took her hand, saying: " Farewell my child." Mrs. Heald said 
to him : " Why uncle, I hope you will get over this." " No my 
child," he said, "lean not." He told her he was shot through 
the lungs, and she saw the blood oozing through his nose and 
mouth. He still held her hand and talked to her, saying that he 
could not last five minutes longer. He said: "Tell my wife— if you 
live to get there, but I think it doubtful if a single one gets there — 
tell her I died at my post doing the best I could. There are seven 
red devils over there that I have killed." 

His horse, which had been shot just behind the girth, then fell 
and caught Captain Wells' leg under him. As he did so. Captain 
Wells turned and saw six or seven Indians approaching them. He 
took aim and fired, killing one of them. They approached slill 
closer, and Mrs. Heald said to him: "Uncle, there is an Indian 
pointing right at the back of your head." Captain Wells put his 
hand back and held up his head that better aim might be taken, 
and then cried " Shoot away !" The Indian fired, the shot being 
fatal. They then pulled him out from under his horse (Mrs. Heald 
still seated on her horse near by) and cut his body open, the gashes 
being in the shape of a cross. They took out his heart, placed it 
on a gun-stick and whirled it round and round, yelling like fiends. 
The noise drew other Indians to the spot and they then commenced 
cutting up the heart and eating it. They crowded around and the 
bleeding heart was thrust forward at one after another 

Finally an Indian cut off a piece, held it up to Mrs. Heald and 
insisted on her eating it. She shook her head. He then daubed 
her face with it. She shook her fist at him. Then they called 



SATURDAY. AUGUi^T KI1-Tp:KNTH. 35 

Irt " I\pecoiucr ! lvj)ecouicr ! " this bciiij^ their name for Ciptain 
Wells— thus si^^nilyitig that she was a Wells — a jjcrson full of 
pluck and fortitude. 

So iioi>l\ jxrishcd one of the best and brrivcst frontiers- 
men, fiL;litinj^ where he had l)een sinnnioned b)' sympathy 
and alTcction, not 1)\- tlie orders of any superior olficer. 
No knight ever set lance in rest nnder a more ptirely 
chivalric inipnlse than did this plain, unpretending, hall- 
ediicated pioneer. Two hnndred and fifty miles away 
he had heard the warning note of i)eril, seen the fair 
young face of his brother's daughter (she who hjng 
before had sought him out among his savage captors and 
restored him to his kins-folk), and felt the impulse of 
manly self-devotion to save her and her friends from 
impending doom. He obeyed the noble impulse and — 
he died like a man, and somewhere beneath our thought- 
less footsteps his bones lie buried.* 

In the Calumet Club is preserved the identical hatchet 
worn by Captain Wells during the last fight, with 
authenticating documents furnished by James Madison 
Wolcott, of South Toledo, Ohio, his grandson by his wife 
Wa-nan-ga-peth (daughter of Me-che-kan-nah-qua or 
Little Turtle) through his daughter Ah-mah-qua-zah- 
quah("A sweet breeze"), wdio married Judge James 
Wolcott. It is related that Wa-nan-ga-peth received the 
news of her husband's death from a stranger Indian who 
entered, told the message, laid down the hatchet in token 
of its truth, and departed, unknown as he came. 

♦Chicago should uot be without a statue of this carh' hero, martyred iu her 
service. A miniature exists purporting to give his features, and as to his 
form, that could be easily reproduced from description, wliilc his Indian dress 
would serve to give grace and dignity to the work. Among the first streets 
named, when the village of Chicago was laid out (1S31). was one called after 
him — for he was not yet forgotten. Part of the street- the stretch north of the 
river— still retains the great name, but the most important portion, that 
traversing the business heart of the city, has been arbitrarily changed to 
" Fifth Avenue," there being no Fourth or Sixth .\venue adjoining it on either 
side to excuse the ungrateful, barbarous innovation. 



36 TH:e CHICAOO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

This narrative of the fight itself, as seen by Mrs. 
Heald and related to me by her son, is marked by a style of 
severe simplicity and good faith that seems to command 
confidence in the mind of the reader. There is no point 
in the artless story where one is compelled to pause ^nd 
make a mental allowance for the bias of the narrator, for 
her excitement and the uncertainty such a state of mind 
might throw over her accuracy, or even for the errors 
(save those of omission) which the lapse of years might 
have caused. All seems natural, unforced and trust- 
worthy. The story goes on: 

In the meautime her horse, which had become excited during 
the tumult by the smell of blood, commenced prancing around, and 
an Indian took him by the bit and led him down to the corral, or 
Indian camp near the fort. [This was on the banks of a slough 
which entered the river at about where State Street bridge now 
stands.] Approaching them, an Indian squaw caught sight of the 
bright-red blanket which was girted on over Mrs. Heald' s saddle, 
for camping purposes, and immediately attempted to take it for her 
own. Mrs. Heald resisted vigorously, and although one hand was 
entirely useless and the other badly injured, she took her switch 
and with it struck the squaw such hard blows that "white welts 
were raised on her red hide." After this exhibition of spirit, the 
Indian who had hold of the horse's bit again shouted, "Epeconier! 
Epeconier!" audit is probably this display of daring which saved 
Mrs. Heald's life, and perhaps her husband's also. 

Rebekah Wells Heald was evidently worthy of her 
name. Daughter of Captain Samuel Wells, niece of Cap- 
tain William Wells, wife of Captain Nathan Heald, she 
was a woman whom the sight of blood could not daunt, 
the smart of wounds weaken, or the fear of bereavement 
subdue. (For many hours after the battle she supposed 
herself a widow.) Her son Darius (her mouthpiece in 
this narrative) was not born until nine years after that 
dreadful day; and now (1893), in his seventy-third year, 
he shows the family form and spirit. Tall, stalwart, 
erect and dignified, he is a typical southern-westerner, a 



SATURDAY, AUGUST FI FTKHNTII . 'M 

iiii<;lil\ hunter in IIr- j)ast and a lower of palriarclial 

strength in his old age. 

When she was hrt)Uj^ht in, alUi l)Ling raptured and led <lowii 
atnong the Indians, she was stripped of her jewelry — rinj^s, breast- 
l)in, earrings and comb. She was badly woun«le<l, and was cared 
for that night (the fifteenth of Auj^nst) as tenderly as a sister, by two 
or three sqnaws and one French woman, who did everythinj^ in 
their power to relieve her. She saw nothing of her jewelry till the 
next morning, when a l)rave made his a])pearance und pranced 
around, taking great pains to shew that he was wearing her comb 
in his scalp lock — a performance fraught with difhculties, as he 
had hardly enough hair to keep it in, and found it necessary to push 
it back from time to time to prevent it from falling to the ground. 
I'oor black Cicely she never saw again*. She had perished with the 
rest. Iler horse, too, was gone forever. 

This hor.se was a thoroughbred, the same one that Mrs. 
Heald, as a bride, had ridden from Kentucky a year be- 
fore. The Indians had always looked on it with envious 
eyes, and had employed all means, lawful and otherwise, 
to get it from the fort. Now it was theirs by conquest, 
and no later efforts availed to recover it. Doubtless among 
its new owners its fate was hard and its life short. One 
winter of starvation, exposure and abuse would "hang its 
hide on the fence," even while its wretched Indian-pony 
companions were living on in stubborn endurance. 

It turned out afterwards that the Indians took their booty do.\n 
to Peoria, to sell and "trade" for whisky, and it found its way 
quickly to St. Louis, where Colonel O' Fallon recognized a great 
deal as belonging to the Healds, and redeemed it and sent it to 
Colonel Samuel Wells at the Falls of the Ohio [Louisville] as a 
memento of his daughter and her husband, both supposed to be 
dead. It reached there before the Healds did, and the articles are 
now in possession of the family ; most of them were shown by 
Hon. Darius Heald in Chicago, in 1892, when the before-mentioned 
short-hand transcript of his mother's story was made, and he and 
his precious relics were photographed, making a picture hereinafter 
presented. (See Appendix E.) 

The Indian who led Captain Heald down to the camp and 
claimed him as his prisoner, was a half-breed named Chandonnais. 

* See page 70. 



38 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

He afterward found that Mrs. Heald was still alive, and, it is sup- 
posed, ransomed her from her captor ; for, on the morning of the 
sixteenth, he brought the husband and wife together. He seems 
to have connived at the escape of both, for they found the matter 
wonderfully easy — boat and escort at hand and all oversight with- 
drawn. Years afterward, in 1831, Cnandonnais visited the Healds 
at their home, near O'Fallon, Missouri, and Darius Heald remem- 
bers his father's meeting and greeting the brave who had so nobly 
rescued them. It is thought that the Indians went off down the 
lake to have "a general frolic " — in other words, torture to death 
the wounded prisoners. 

Here arises before the mind's eye the dim and cloudy 
vision of horror, the acme of the tragedy, all the more 
appalling for its shrouding mystery. It makes the flesh 
creep and the hair stand on end. It sears the heart 
against the race whereof it was the inborn nature to 
feel in the eyes a love for the sight of mortal agony, 
in the ears an eagerness for the shriek of despairing 
anguish. 

The wounded not included ! The helpless picked out 
for torture ! The inflamed hurts to be deepened with a 
pitchfork and perhaps further and mortally inflamed with 
a burning brand! Kindly Nature's passing lethargy to 
be quickened into conscious death in frantic anguish! 

The twelve militia-men are never again mentioned. 
They are as if they had never been born, lived and toiled, 
never volunteered, never served, fought and fell. How 
is this to be accounted for ? Why should their mortality 
be twice as great as that of the regulars ? Darkness hides 
the answer; but it seems not unlikely that the same hellish 
ingenuity which held that "the wounded were not inclu- 
ded," may also have held that men not wearing the uni- 
form were not protected by the capitulation, and so they 
perished at the stake, surrounded by the "general frolic" 
which occupied the savages, good and bad, friendly and 
inimical, during the flight of the Healds and Kinzies. 



SATIKDAY, M-V.VSr 11 ITI- !■ NTH. 'i'-> 

There was „.. place on earlli for a race wlncli, through 
.,11 ils liistory, had f.miia cleli:^hliii Uie spectacle ol pam, 
which innicled torunv, n.,l as a means leading U. some 
uUcrior object, hnl as ilscUa source of joy and Khi.h.ess. 
The race is still in existence, but tlie inhninan part of its 
characteristics are heiii;.' refined away, leaviii;.' s.mie of 
ils best traits ill tlic more a.ivanccd of its present repre- 
sentatives. Later on in this volume mention is made ol 
its standing and its prospects at this time. 

Now to take up again the Wau-Hun narrative. 1 he 
torturing incident, already given, evidently ends the story 
of Mrs. Helms personal experiences; all that follows being 
what others professed to have seen. Yet (possib y by 
tvpograi>hical error) the quotation marks, which l>egan 
with the narration, are continued much further on in- 
cluding paragraphs wherein she is spoken of m the tliird 
person. {See later.) Mrs Helm says : 

The Americans, after the first attack by the Indians, charged 
npon those «ho ha.l concealed themselves in a sort of rav.ue inter- 
Xing between the sandbanks and the prai.ie. The latter gathered 
thentselves into a body, and after sotne hard fightmg. n- winch he 
nnntber of whites had become rednced to twenty-e.gh . tins little 
band succeeded in breaking through the enemy and gaining a 
rising ground not far from the oak woods. 

The contest now seemed hopeless, and Lieutenant Helm sent 
Peresh Leclerc, a halfl>reed boy in the service of Mr. Km,..e, who 
h d a«ompa.,ied the detachment and fought -nftiny on the.r 
Ae, to propose terms of capitulation. It was stipulated that he 
live; of all the survivors should be spared and a ransom perm.ttcl 
as soon as practicable. 

Lieutenant Helm made the terms of capitulation ? How 
could that be while Captain Heald was present ? And 
what is to be done with Captain Heald's .statement o 
October 7, uSi-^ less than three months after the event . 
It reads as follows: "The Indians did not follow me 
but assembled in a body on the top of the bank, and, 
after some consultation among themselves, made signs 



40 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OE l8l2. 

for me to approach them. I advanced toward them 
alone and was met by one of the Pottowatomie chief 
called Black Bird, with an interpreter." 

The reader will of course choose between the two state- 
ments according to his judgement of probabilities and 
internal evidence of truthfulness. Captain Heald cer- 
tainl}^ cast no slur on Lieutenant Helm, and appears not 
even to have entered into the bitterness of feeling against 
himself and his unhappy surgeon, which seems to have 
gone on rankling through all the twenty years that 
elapsed between the direful day and the telling of the 
story by Mrs. Helm to Mrs. Kinzie. 

Mrs. Helm's expression, "Peresh Leclerc, a half-breed 
boy in the service of Mr. Kinzie who had accompanied 
the detachment and fought manfully on their side," leaves 
a possible ambiguity as to whether it is the boy or his 
master who fought manfully on the side of the whites. 

Next follows one of the most noteworthy parts of all 
Mrs. Helm's narrative, the few words which depict the 
act of ferocity by which the occasion has been given 
much of its picturesque and terrible individuality: 

But in the meaniime, a horrible scene had been enacted. One 
young savage, chnibing into the baggage-wagon containing the 
children of the white families, twelve in number, tomahawked the 
children of the entire group.* 

This harrowing tale is strongly confirmed by Captain 
Heald's estimate of losses as given in his letter of Oct. 
seventh (already quoted), which he states as follows: 
''Our strength w^as about fifty-four regulars and twelve 
militia, out of which twenty-six regulars and twelve militia 
were killed in action, with two women and twelve children. 
Ensign George Ronan and Dr. Isaac V. Van Vorhees, of 
my company, with Captain Wells of Fort Wayne, to my 
great sorrow are numbered among the dead. Lieutenant 

*See Appendix G for the story of one of the scalped children. 



SATrKDAv, Arc.rsT iii-ti:i:n III 41 

Tjii.'ii T. Ikliii. with Iwcnly li\i- iioii foiinnissioncd ofli- 
ccrs and privates, and eleven women and cliildren, were 
prisoners wlien we separated." 

Tlie next part of Mrs. Helm's narrative is remarkably 
at variance with the stern, li ne-seemini; and eircum- 
stantial acconnt of Captain Wells' death i^iven by Mrs. 
Ileald. Mrs Helm says (followin^i; the statement of the 
bIan.L;liLer oi the innocents): 

This was (luriii«( the en.i,M!4ctiicnt near the sand-liills. When 
Captain Wells, who was fij.;hling near, l)ehehl it. he cxclaiincfl, 
" Is that yonr ^anie, butchering wcnnen and children ? Then I 
will kill too ! " So saying, he turned his horse's head and started 
for the Indian camp near the fort, where had been left their squaws 
and children. Several Indians pursued him as he galloped along. 
He laiil himself Hat on the neck of his horse, loading and firing in 
that position as he would occasionally turn on his pursuers. At 
length their balls took eflect, killing his horse and severely wound- 
ing himself. At this moment he was met by Winnemeg and Wan- 
ban-see who endeavored to save him from the savages who had 
now overtaken him. As they supported him along, after having 
disengaged him from his horse, he received his death blow from 
another Indian, Pec-so-tuni, who stabbed him in the back. 

When we observe the incongruities of this tale (not to 
speak of its contradiction by Mrs. Hcald's report) such as 
the witnessing by Captain Wells of the wagon slaughter 
(at a time when we know he w^as far away inland, fight- 
ing at the head of the troops) ; of his alleged dastardly 
flight from the field toward the Indian camp a mile-and- 
a-half away, with the avowed intention of killing the 
squaws and pappooses ; his being overtaken on horse- 
back by pursuing enemies on foot ; his being held up by 
tw^o Indians wdiile a third stabbed him in the back, the 
third being the very one who helped Mrs. Helm to reach 
the fort ; we are only glad to remember that the narrator 
did nut mean to have us understand that she witnessed 
the occurrences she relates. Internal evidence leads us 
to suspect that the story came to her from the lips of 



42 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

lying Indians, eager to magnify to Mr. Kinzie their 
deeds of valor and of kindness, and perhaps justify their 
treatment of poor Wells, alive and dead. Pee-so-tum 
may have killed and scalped Wells, but it surely was 
not under such circumstances as those above set forth. 
Not even the best friends of the Indian claim for him 
any appreciation of the virtue of mere veracity. Personal 
faithfulness of the most touching character he often 
showed. Even the keeping of promises, often at the cost 
of great personal sacrifice, has been known as a striking 
and admirable trait. But '' truth for truth's sake" is 
beyond him — as it is, indeed, beyond the great mass of 
mankind. 

The Wau-Bun story of the experiences of the Kinzie 
family bears evidences of authenticity and reasonable 
accuracy, as might be expected from the fact that Mrs. 
John H. Kinzie probably got it directly from her husband's 
mother, Mrs. John Kinzie, who was alive at the time 
when it was first written. 

Those of the family of Mr. Kinzie who had remained in the boat 
near the mouth of the river were carefully guarded by Kee-po-tah 
and another Indian. They had seen the smoke, then the blaze, 
and, immediately after, the report of the tremendous discharge 
sounded in their ears. Then all was confusion. They reaHzed 
nothing until the}' saw an Indian come towards them from the 
battle-ground leading a horse on which sat a lady, apparently 

wounded. 

"That is Mrs. Heald," cried Mrs. Kinzie. "That Indian will 
kill her. Run Chandonuais," to one of Mr. Kinzie's clerks, "Take 
the mule that is tied there and offer it to him to release her." 

Her captor by this time was in the act of disengaging her bonnet 
from her head in order to scalp her. Chandonuais ran up, offered 
the mule as a ransom, with the promise of two bottles of whisky 
as soon as they should reach his village. The latter was a strong 
temptation. " But," said the Indian, "She is badly wounded — she 
will die — will you give me the whisky at all events?" Chandon- 
nais promised he would, and the bargain was concluded. The 
savage placed the lady's bonnet on his own head and after an in- 



SATUKDAV, AUOrST !• II" Tlj: NTH . {•] 

efTectual cdort on tin- i)art ((fsoiiic s(jiia\vs to roh lic-r of her shoes 
ami sto<.'kiti.<4S, slic was hrou'^ht on hoard Ihr hoat, where she hiy 
nioaniiii^ with pain from the many wounds she ha<l received in 
both arms. 

Ill this ii;in;iti\'c the Indian I);n\i;aiiis lliat he shall have 
his l)()cUy wlielhcr the prisoners live or die. This stipu- 
lation indicates llie savage's view of the \aliie of a ])ris- 
oner. If lik(.ly to live, aiul therefore exeliaiigeal)le for 
ransom, then his life ini!L;ht be spared; if not, then he 
belonged to his captor and could be used lor the keen de- 
light of torture. This is probably the idea which inspired 
the hellish notion of the exclusion of the woundetl from 
Captain Heald's capitulation. Fertile unhurt they could 
get ransom, therefore they would .spare their lives. l>ut 
the wounded! Why spare them? They are not mer- 
chantable. Nobody will give an\thing for a dead man. 
The dying are available for only one profit — torture. 

When the boat was at length permitted to retiiin lo the mansion 
of Mr. Kinzie, and Mrs. Heald was removed to the house, it be- 
came necessar}' to dress her wounds. Mr. K. applied to an old 
chief who stood by, and who, like most of his tribe, possessed some 
skill in surgery, to extract a ball from the arm of the sufferer. " No, 
father," he replied, " I cannot do it; it makes me sick here," laying 
his hand on his heart. INIr. Kinzie then performed the operation 
himself with his penknife. 

The discrepancy observable between this account and 
that of Mrs. Heald herself, which says that on that night 
she was cared for by squaws in the Indian encampment, 
may be explained away by supposing that it was on the 
following- dav, after the Kinzies had got back to their 
home on the north bank, that ]\Irs. Kinzie caught sight 
of her friend and sent Chandonnais to her rescue in one 
of the boats they always used for passing and repassing 
the river, at about where Rtish Street bridge now stands. 
The fact that no mule could well have been tied where 
the boat lay offshore, near the river's mouth, makes this 
seem the probable explanation of the incongruity. 



44 THE CHICAGO M ASS ACE E OF l8l2. 

At their own mansion the family of Mr. Kinzie were 
closely guarded by their Indian friends, whose intention 
it was to carry them to Detroit for security. The rest of 
the prisoners remained at the wigwams of their captors. 

Mrs. Helm, Mr. Kinzie's step-daughter, must ha\e been 
among those once more housed at the historic building of 
squared logs built about 1776, by Pointe de Saible. This 
house was still standing when the village had become, in 
name at least, a city, which it did in 1837. Mr. Kinzie 
had planted along its front four poplar trees, and they ap- 
pear in the early pictures of Chicago. Doubtless, if one 
were to dig in the open space on the east side of Pine 
Stieet, at its junction with Kinzie street, the old roots 
would be found to this day (1893), and there are prob- 
ably a hundred living Chicagoans wdio remember having 

seen the house itself. 

The following morning, the work of plunder having been com- 
pleted, the Indians set fire to the fort. A very fair, equitable dis- 
tribution of the finery appeared to have been made, and shawls, 
ribbons and feathers fluttered about in all directions. The ludi- 
crous appearance of one young fellow, who had arrayed himself in 
a muslin gown and the bonnet of one of the ladies, would, under 
other circumstances, have afforded matter of amusement. 

Black Partridge, Wau ban-see and Kee-po-tah, wnth two other 
Indians, having established themselves in the porch of the building 
as sentinels, to protect the family from any evil the young men 
might be excited to commit, all remained tranquil for a short space 
after the conflagration. Very soon, however, a party of Indians 
from the Wabash made their appearance. These were, decidedly, 
the most hostile and implacable of all the tribes of the Pottowato- 
mies. Being more remote, they had shared less than some of their 
brethren in the kindness of Mr. Kinzie and his family, and conse- 
quently their sentiments of regard for them were less powerful. 

TheV/abash Indians must have been smarting with the 
terrible defeat inflicted on them only about one year 
before, when General Harrison, whose confidential agent 
poor Wells had been, fought them at Tippecanoe, on the 
banks of the Wabash River 



SATURDAY. AlTfUTST I- ITTi: I- NTH. 1' 

RuiHicrs haii been sent to the vilhijris to apprise tlicin of the 
iiilcMKled evacuation of the jjost, as well as of the plans of the In 
(lians assembled to attack the troops. Thirsting to participate in 
such a. scene, they hurried on, and ^'reat was their mortification on 
arriving,' at the Aux IMaines [Des IMaiius River] to meet with a 
j)irty of their friends bcarinij with them Nee scot-nee-meg ba<lly 
wounded, and to learn that the battle was over, the spoils divided 
and the scalps all taken. (.\i arri\ in.i( at Chica^^'o they blacKened 
their faces and proceeded toward the dwelling' of Mr. Kinzie. 

Troni his station on the pia/./.a. Black rartridj4e h.id watched 
their approach, and his fears were particularly awakened for the 
safety of Mrs. Helm (Mr. Kinzie's step-dauj<htcr), who had recently 
come to the post and was personally unknown to the more remote 
Indians.^ By his advice she was made to assume the ordinary dress 
of a Trench woman of the country; namely, a short gown and petti- 
coat, with a blue cotton handkerchief wrapped around her head. In 
this disguise she was conducted by Black Partridge himself to the 
house of Ouilmette, a Frenchman with a half-breed wife, who 
formed part of the establishment of Mr. Kinzie, and whose dwelling 
was close at hand. It so happened that the Indians came first to 
this house in their search for prisoners. As they approached, the 
inmates, fearful that the fair complexion and general appearance 
of Mrs. Helm might betray her for an American, raised a large 
feather bed an<l placed her under the edge of it, upon the bedstead, 
with her face to the wall. Mrs. Bisson, the sister of Ouilmette's 
wife, then seated herself with her sewing on the edge of the bed. It 
was a hot day in August, and the feverish excitement of fear and 
agitation, together with her position, which was nearly suffocating, 
became so intolerable that at length Mrs. Helm entreated to be re- 
leased and given up to the Indians. 

♦Although this, as well as the earlier part of the account (where Mr>. ITelm 
speaks in the first person"* appears in Wan-Bun in continuousquotation marks, 
it is manifest that the whole later portion is a separate rtcital. Several inter- 
esting anecdotes are given in detail, but for them the reader must look to the 
delightful original volume which, though not in the market, can be found in 
the Chicago Historical Society's collection, and also in many private libraries, 
especially among those Chicagoans who were not burned out in tht- great fire 
ofiS7i. It is to be hoped that some of Mrs. Kinzies descendants will cause a 
new editiou to be published for the benefit of later comers, who will look to it 
for amusement I and also instruction) concerning times and scenes so unlike 
those now around them as to seem to have happened on another planet, in- 
stead of on the very soil they tread, i Munstll's IIi<t. Chic. ) 

The words used imply that the s'epdaughter had not habitually formed part 
of the family of John Kinzie at Chicago. 



46 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2 

" I cau but die," said she; "let them put an end to my misery at 
once." 

Mrs. Bisson replied: " Your death would be the destruction of 
us all, for Black Partridge has resolved that if one drop of the blood 
of your family is spilled, he\vill take the lives of all concerned in 
it, even his nearest friends ; and if once the work of murder com- 
mences there will be no end of it so long as there remains one 
white person or half-breed in the country." 

This expostulation nerved Mrs. Helm with fresh resolution. The 
Indians entered, and she could occasionally see them from her hid- 
ing-place, gliding about, stealthil}- inspecting ever}' part of the 
room, though without making any ostensible search, until, appar- 
ently satisfied that there was no cue concealed, they left the house. 

All this time Mrs. Bisson had kept her scat upon the side of the 
bed, calmly basting and arranging the patchwork of the quilt on 
which she was engaged, and preserving the appearance of the ut- 
most trauquilit}^ although she knew not but that the next moment 
she might receive a tomahawk in her brain. Her self-command 
unquestionably saved the lives of all present. 

From Ouilmette's house the party of Indians proceeded to the 
dwelling of Mr. Kinzie. They entered the parlor, in which the 
family were assembled with their faithful protectors, and seated 
themselves upon the floor in silence. 

Black Partridge perceived, from their moody and revengeful 
looks, what was passing in their minds, but he dared not remon- 
strate with them. He only observed, in a low tone, to Wau-ban-see : 

" We have endeavored to save our friends, but it is vain; noth- 
ing will save them now." 

At this moment a friendly whoop was heard from a party of 
new-comers on the opposite bank of the river. Black Partridge 
hastened to meet their leader, as the canoe in which they had has- 
tily embarked touched the bank near the house. 

"Who are you ?" demanded he 

' ' A man; who are youf 

"A man like yourself; but tell me w/ioyon are" — meaning, "tell 
me your disposition, and which side you are for." 



"lam the Sau-ga nash." 



"Then make all speed to the house; your friend is in danger and 
you alone can save him." 

Billy Caldwell, the " Sau-ga-iiash," or Englishman, 
was son of Colonel Caldwell, a British officer stationed at 



SATURDAY, AUGl'ST !• II-TKI-NTII. 47 

Detroit, his iiioIIkt hL-iuL; a hcautilul i'ottowatoniic «;irl. 
He was educated by liis lather, thoui^h servini; liis iiKjth- 
er's race as a chief of the Pottovvatomies. (There were 
always many "cliiefs.") He fought under Teenmseh 
against the whites under Wayne — "Mad Anthtni}," as 
he was often called, "Ohl Tempest." as CaUlwell liim- 
self calls hini'!- — also at the Ikittle of the Thames, in 
1813, when Harrison fought and defeated the combined 
forces of British and Indians, and the famous chief, 
Tecumseh, was killed. He took part in the treaty of 
Greenville, in 179^), and that of Chicago, in 1^33; a long 
space of historic time, covering a racial struggle of many 
thrilling incidents, not a thousandth part of which can 
ever see the liirht. Thev are 1)uried in blood, smoke, 
flame and darl^ncss. At this time, it \\\\\ be observed, 

Caldwell was an ally of the English. 

Billy Caldwell, for it was he, eutered the parlor with a calm 
step, aud without a trace of agitation iu his inauner. He deliber- 
ately took off his accoutrements and placed them, with his rifle, 
behind the door, and then saluted the hostile savages. 

"How now% my friends? A good day to you! I was told there 
were enemies here, but I am glad to find only friends. Why have 
you blackened 3-our faces? Is it that you are mourning for those 
friends you have lost iu battle?" (purposely misunderstanding this 
token of evil designs) "or is it that you are fasting ? If so, ask our 
friend here, and he will give you to cat. He is the Indians' friend, 
and never 3'et refused them what they had need of." 

Thus taken by surprise, the savages were ashamed to acknowl- 
edge their bloody purpose. They therefore said modestly that they 
came to beg of their friends some white cotton in which to w i ap 
their dead before interring them. Tliis was given to them, with 
some other presents, and they took their departure peaceably from 
the premises. 

The remainder of both the W'au-Bun and Heald narra- 
tives is devoted to the flight from Chicago and the later 
fate of the fugitives. Before closing this part of m\' stor\', 
I will give the following bit coming from another source. 

*See Appendix H. 



4^ i^HK CHICA.GO massacre: OF^ I Si 2. 

Near the (present) north end of State Street bridge 
stood a log house known to history and tradition as 
" Cobweb Castle ;" a name probably given to it after the 
rebuilding of the fort in 1816, and after it had become 
superannuated and superseded. Mrs. Callis, daughter of 
Mr. Jouett, who came here with him about 1817, says 
of it : "The house in which my father lived, was built 
before the massacre of 181 2 ; I know this from the fact 
that 'White Elk,' an Indian chief, the tallest Indian I 
ever saw, was frequently pointed out to me as the savage 
who had dashed out the brains of the children of Sukey 
Corbin (a camp-follower and washerwoman) against the 
side of this very house. Mrs. Jouett told her daughter 
of a frantic mother (perhaps the same Mrs. Corbin), a 
former acquaintance of hers, who, on that occasion f )ught 
the monster all the while the butchery was going on, and 
who, in her turn, fell a victim herself." 

This would indicate that some of the citizens (beside 
the Kinzies, Healds and Helms) got back to the settle- 
ment after the collision at the sand-hills, and that they 
found at their old homes no sanctuar^^, no rest, no mercy, 
no hope. 

It is to be observed that, as the Jouetts were not on 
the spot at the time of the massacre, this part of the story 
has not the degree of authenticity attaching to the reports 
of the Healds and Helms. The treaty of 18 17 gives, 
among the Pottowatomie signers, the Indian name of 
"the White Elk" as "Wa-bin-she-way." 



Everything connected with the massacre itself, so far 
as existing testimony has come to light, has now been 
told. There is a possibility that one other document 
may be hidden away ; an account written by Lieutenant 
Helm. But this, if ever found, will necessarily be iden- 



SATURDAV. AUC.UST !■ ii-Ti;i:N'rii. 49 

tical, in all iini)()rlanl jtarliciilars willi the story told by 
his witlow aiul printed in Wan Hnn.-*^ 

TIk' ila\ which dawned so l)ri_i;hl has draij^L^c-d tliiouj^li 
its blood}' horns and conic to its dark and liide(jns close. 
The dead, nun, wf^nien and eiiihhen, are at peace. The 
wonnded are snfFerini;- the tornijnls of the pit. the rest 
are shnddering in the nncertainties that lie helore them. 
The Indians are riotonsly happ\- ; for have they not done 
harm? Have tlK\- not killed, scalped, destroyed, wasted, 
life and jiroperty ? Have they not annihilated the source 
whence they had been getting arms, amnninition and 
blankets, and driven off the men who tried to keej) 
whisky from them? Have they not made a .solitude and 
called it war ? The goods are scattered. The fort is 
burned. The cattle are dead or dying. The soldiers 
are defeated, slain or held as priso?iers, for ranson if un- 
hurt, for torture if disabled. The babes are brained and 
their mothers dead or desolate. What more "happy 
hunting-ground" is possible to them this side of hades 
itself? 

In "Wan-Bun," one seems to hear them telling of 
their individual good deeds and atlributing all evil deeds 
to each other. For the Indian's hand was against every 
man, even all other Indians. Their bloodiest wars have 
been betw^een themselves ; wars of absolute extermina- 
tion for the beaten party. Every tribe held its lands by 



* Lieutenant then Cnptaiu) Helm is said to have died at or near Bath. 
Steuben Co., N. Y., about \^i-j. Uis widow married, at St, James church, 
Chicago, in 1S36. Dr. Lucius .\l)l-.ott, of Detroit. Therefore any papers left by 
the Helm-^ should b-- sought for in the last named city. 

Kdward G. Mason tells me that there is. or was, among the papers of the De- 
troit Historical Society, a letter from Lieutenant Helm to .Vui^ustus H. Wood- 
ward, Ksq.. at Washington City, in whicli the writer says that he has nearly 
completed the history of the Chicago massacre, and that he (Woodwards may 
expect it in two weeks. The letter was dated Flemington, New Jersey, June 
6 iS(4. Mr. Ma'^on thinks the letter intimates that the publication of the 
history may subject the writer to conrt-Tuartial. Possibly tliis note may bring 
tc light the lost history in question ; a thing much to be desired. 



50 T¥LJt CHICAGO massacre: O^ i812. 

conquest and by force. Even if we had taken them by 
the sword, without compensation (which we never did), 
they would only have lost their holdings by the self- 
same means by which the}^ had gained them. 

Well is it for the kindlier folk that the cruel did not 
stick together. If they had done so, we should be a 
hundred years in time and a thousand miles in space 
further back in our territorial progress. But they could 
not combine. "You might as well try to boil flints into 
a pudding." 



It still remains to me to trace, so far as it is not 
shrouded in oblivion, the fate of the survivors. But as 
this leads some distance into the future, I have thought 
best to treat the matter separately ; prefacing the story of 
what followed the tragedy by a short sketch of what pre- 
ceded and led up to it. Why did those brave and hapless 
beings come here ? How came the}' here ? What 
brought their few and scattered footprints to the ground 
since then trodden by millions ? 

The following pages will try to answer these questions, 
beginning with the very earliest permanent settlement 
of what is now Chicago. 



PART SECOND. 



HISTORICAL AND BIOORAl'IIICAI. 



HOW CHICAGO BiiGAN AND WHO WERE ITS BEGINNERS. 



PAHT SECOND. 



CII.\PT1;R I 



Till-: DARK in:i"()Ki: Tin: dawn 




i:S()Liri'i:i,V, ihouKli un- 
willin^lw I ])c'iss ovLT tlic 
roniaiUic liislorN- of the firsl 
cc'iiliii V (jI" Chicaj^^o's annals, 
the I'Vcnch period hci^innin^ 
aboul i^jS, enil^racin;; the 
Ihrillin.i^ story of La Salle, 
MarcjiiettL' and their brave 
Icliow Catholics. Let us take np 
the tale when, in 1778. during the 
-1^ Revolutionary war; just as the 
.7^- great George Rogers Clark was 
-capturing Indiana, Illinois and in 
fact the whole Northwest, from the 
■'i> luiglish ; one Colonel A rent Schuy- 
. ler de Peyster (a New York ofTicer 
'-'iy of the British army, in command 
of I'ort Mackinac) wrote some 
doggerel verses which bring Chi- 
cago into modern history and literature. -•= In one of 
his poems he speaks of " Ivschickagou " and of Jean 
Baj)tiste Pointe de Saible who li\ed there, and in a foot- 
note he describes the place as "a river and fort at the 
head of Lake Michigan,'' and the man as "a handsome 
negro, well educated, but much in the h'rench interest." 



E.\RLY JKSflT. 



♦Sfc appfjulix .\. After the ptacc. Colont-l ilc rcystcr rclirt-d to Scofaiid 
aud lived in or near Dumfries; and it is in his honor thai Burns wrote his 
verses "To Colonel de Peyster," l)e.v;ii>iiin.i,' 

" My honored Colonel, nuich I feel 
Thy interest iu the poet's weal." 



54 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

The fort spoken of by Colonel de Peyster, if it had any 
existence, must have been a mere stockaded trading- 
post , for neither by English nor by French forces had it 
been built, and as to American forces, there were none 
west of the AUeghanies except Clark with his few score 
of heroic frontiers-men. Fort Dearborn came twenty- 
six years later, as we shall see. 

The word ' ' Chicago ' ' in some of its many forms of 
spelling* had been in recognized existence for a century, 
being found in the scanty and precious records left by 
Marquette, La Salle and their contemporaries, though 
they first call the stream the " Portage River." 

Much discussion has arisen about the word and its 
meaning, but the preponderance of testimony seems to 
point to the conclusion that the river took its name from 
the wild onion, leek or garlick that grew in profusion 
along its banks in all this region, and is still to be found 
in many neglected spots of original soil. Bold Tonti, 
La Salle's faithful lieutenant, speaks of having been 
nourished during his long tramp from the Illinois River 
to Green Bay by a weed much like the leek of France, 
which they dug up with their fingers and ate as they 
walked — surely the chi-ca-gou. 

The first official mention of the word " Chicago " was 
in the " Treaty of Greenville ;" a compact made in 1795 



*Hurlbut's " Antiquities" discusses the name with great and amusing par- 
ticularity Here are some of the variations he gives in its spelling and its 
meaning. Chicagowunzh, the wild onion or leek; (Schoolcraft). Checaqua; 
a line of chiefs of the Tamaroa Indians, signifying strong. Chigaakwa, "the 
woods are thin." Checagou, Chicagou, Marquette and LaSalle. Shikakok, 
"at the skunk." Chi-ka-go, wild onion. Chikagou, an Indian chief who 
went to Paris (before 1752) where the Duchess of Orleans, at Versailles, gave 
him a splendid snufif box. Chicagou, M. DeLigny in a letter to M. DeSiette. 
Checaqua, "the Thunder God." Chacaqua, ''Divine River." Chicagua or 
Skunk river (in Iowa). Chicago, skunk, onion or smelling thing; (Gordon S. 
Hubbard). Chicagoua, equivaleut of the Chippewa Jikag; "bete puante." 
Zhegahg, a skunk. Eschikagou; (Col. De Peyster). Portage de Chegakou. 
Chikajo. Chi-kaug-ong; (Schoolcraft). Chicazo, corruption of Chickasaw. 



Tin; DAKK Hia-oR]' Till-; dawn. 



hi) 



bctWLcii llu- Indians and " Mad Anlliony " Wayne, who 
had hiUly whiitped Uk ni into a Ircaly-niakin^ frame of 
niiiul. This treat)- phiced tlie l)<)nndar\- line l>rt\vecn tlie 
whites and the Indians east of the entire state (A' Indiana, 
but exeepted and retained for tradin.i;^ i)()sts several 
isolated seetions west of the line, anion^^ them "one 
l)ieee of land six miles square at the moutli of Chiea,L;o 
River, emptying intt) the southwestern end of I.ake 
Miehigan, where a fort formerly stood." 

"Meche kan-nah-(iuah ' or " Little Turtle," who took 
a prominent part in the making of the treaty, was the 
father-in-law of William Wells, the hero-mart\r of the 
massacre, as has been set forth in Part I. 

Baptiste Pointe de 
Saible, some time in 
the last century, built 
a log house on the 
north bank of the Chi- 
cago River, near Lake 
Michigan, just where 
Pine street now ends. 
V This modest dwelling 



existed through vicis- 
situdes many and ter- 
rible. When built, it 
stood in a vast soli- 
tude. North of it were 
thick woods wiiich 
covered the whole of 




LITTLE TURTLE -ME-CHE-KAN-N.\H QUAH. 



what is now Chicago's proud "North Side." In front 
of it lay the narrow, deep and sluggish creek which 
forms the main river; and, with its two long, straggling 
branches, gives the city its inestimable harbor, '•' with 

*The citv has, besides, another harbor alon.i; the Calumet lake and river, 
some ten "milt s to Die soutlnvard, which, when fully improved, will exceed 
the first named iu extent aud value. 



56 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



twenty-seven miles of dock frontage. Beyond it, 
stretching indefinitely southward, lay the grassy flat 
now the ' ' South Side, ' ' the business centre and wealthiest 
residence portion. Westward, beyond the north and 

south branches of 
the river, stretched 
the illimitable prai- 
rie, including what 
at the present time 
is the "West Side," 
the home of manu- 
^W^ -'^^ facturing enterprise 
^-^x "" and of a population 
larger than that of 
the two other por- 
tions put together. 
And to the east- 
ward lay the lake ; 
the only thing in 
nature which Jean 
Baptiste could rec- 
ognize if he should 
now return to the 
scene of his long, lonel}^ half savage, half civilized 
sojourn. 

Suppose him to have built his log dwelling in 1778, 
the ver}' year when Colonel de Peyster luckily makes a 
note of his existence ; all about him must have been a 
waste place so far as human occupation is concerned. 
Bands of roaming Indians from time to time appeared 
and disappeared. French trappers and voyageurs doubt- 
less made his house their halting-place. Fur-traders' 
canoes, manned by French "voyageurs," "engages" and 
** coureurs des bois," paddling the great lakes and uncon- 
sciously laying the foundation of the Astor fortunes, 




From " CvclopKfHa of I'liited Stntes History."— Copyriglil, 
18Sl,by Harper k Hrotlicrs. 

GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE. 



r 'T 



TiiK DAKK in:i'<.Ki; Tnj; dawn. '>'; 

callcil, from lime to time, to buy the stores of iK-ltry 
which lie li;i(l collected, and leave him the whisky of 
whicli lie was so fond, hr.t the rest of his time was spent 
in patriarchal isolation and the society of his Indian 
wives and their half-breed offspring;. vSo far as we know, 
scarcely a civilized habitation stood nearer than Careen 
Hay on the north, tlu- X'ermilion branch of the Wabash 
on the sonth and the Mississippi on the west ; a tract of 
nearly fifty thonsand square miles. 

Pointe de Saible's occupation ended about with the 
century, when he sold the cabin to one Le Mai. Before 
this time, however, other seltlements had been begun 
nearer than those above mentioned ; and even in the 
very neighborhood there were a few neighbors. One 
Guarie had .settled on the west side of the North Branch; 
and Gurdon Hubbard (who came here in iSiSj says that 
that stream was still called " Ri\er (aiarie " and that he 
liim.self saw the remains of corn-hills on what must have 
been Guarie's farm. (The vSouth Branch was called 
"Portage River" because it led to the Mud Lake con- 
nection with the Des Plaines and so onward to the Mis- 
sis.sippi). Pointe de Saible, Le Mai and Guarie have 
died and left no sign, but there was another pioneer of 
pioneers in the beginning of the present century who 
was more lucky. He was Antoine Ouillemette, a 
Frenchman who took to wife a Pottowatomie squaw and 
thus obtained a grant of land on part of whicli the prettv 
suburb of Willmette now stands. He did not die till 
1829, six years before the final departure of the Potto- 
watomies for the further West. 

The far-seeing plans which inspired our forefathers in 
making the treaty of Greenville took shape in 18 ^. 
when General Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War under 
Presideni Jefferson, ordered the building of a fort''== and 



♦See Appendix B. 



n8 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF lSl2. 



a compauy of soldiers arrived to build it, having marched 
overland from Detroit inider Lieutenant (afterward Col- 
onel) James S. Swearingen. Their Captain, John 
Whistler, had led an eventful life. Hurlbut in his 



^i 







■WILLIAM WHISTLER. 



delightful "Chicago Antiquities" says he was "an 
officer in the armj^ of the Revolution," and adds: "We 
regret that we have so few facts concerning his history; 
nor have we a portrait or signature of the patriot." In 
fact he did ser\'e during the Revolutionary war, but it 
was on the British side in the army of General Burgo\'ne, 
being taken prisoner with the rest, and paroled ; joining 
the American army later in life.^ With Captain John 

*See Aupendii C, 



THH DARK BEFORK TIIK DAWN 



r,o 



Whistler came his son, Lieutenant William Whistler, 
the latter accompanied by his young wife (of her and her 




MRS. WILLIAM WHISTLER. 

From a photograph taken during her visit to Chicaeo in 1875. 

daughter we shall hear more hereafter), all of whom 
came around the lakes on the schooner Tracv. The 
passengers left the Tracy on arriving at St. Joseph's, 
Michigan, and came across the lake by a row-boat! 



60 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

When the schooner arrived she anchored outside and her 
freight was discharged by bateaux, as the river (which 
made a sharp turn southward just below where Rush 
Street Bridge now stands and debouched over a shallow 
bar at about the present foot of Madison Street) was not 
navigable for lake vessels at that time, or for thirty-one 
years afterward. Mrs. William Whistler said that some 
two thousand Indians visited the locality, during the 
schooner's stay, to see the "big canoe with wings." 

We further learn from Mrs. Whistler that there were 
then in the place but four rude huts or trader's cabins, 
occupied by white men, Canadian French with Indian 
wives. She adds: 

"Captain Whistler, upon his arrival, at once set about 
erecting a stockade and shelter for his protection, fol- 
lowed by getting out the sticks for the heavier work. It 
is worth mentioning here that there was not at that time, 
within hundreds of miles, a team of horses or oxen, and 
as a consequence, the soldiers had to don the harness 
and, with the aid of ropes, drag home the needed 
timbers." 

This would indicate that the soldiers had made their 
long march from Detroit (two hundred and eighty miles) 
without wagons or pack animals to carry tents and 
rations; or, what is more probable, that the transportation 
had been hired, and the outfit had returned to Detroit. 

Next steps upon the scene the true pioneer of the 
Chicago of to-day; John Kinzie.'^^ This first of citizens 
had learned of the proposed establishment of the military 
post. Fort Dearborn, and, foreseeing with his usual bold- 
ness and sagacity the advantages to spring from it, had 
come over from his residence on the St. Joseph's river, 
and bouq-ht from Le Mai the old Pointe de Saible log- 



*See Appendix D. 



Till DARK Hi;i'ORK TlIlC DAWN. 01 

cabin. Slu)rtly after IIk- establisliiucnt of lla- foil he 
hrou>;liL his family to the place whcRiii tlu- naiiR- oi 
Kin/.ic has been always nu)St distinj^nislied. The family 
consisted of his wife. ICleanor (Lytle), widow <»f a lirili^li 
ofhcer named McKillip, her yonnt^^ d ni^diler Margaret, 
who afterward became Mrs. Lieutenant Ilebn, and an 
infant S(Mi. John Harris Kin/.ie. They occupied the old 
North Side lo^-house up to 1827 — about twenty- five 
years — (except from 1S12 to 1S16, the years of desola- 
tion) and it stood for more than ten years louL^er: a land- 
mark remembered by scores if not hundreds of the 
Chicagoans of this time (1893). 

For much of our scanty knowledge concerning the 
years following the building of the fort we are indebted 
to Mrs. Julia (P'erson) Whistler, wife of William and 
therefore daughter in-law of John, the old Burgoyiie 
British regular.-'' 

From 1804 to 181 1, the characteristic traits of this far 
away corner of the earth were its isolation; the garrison 
within the stockade and the ever present hovering clouds 
of savages outside, half seen, half trusted, half feared; 
its long summers, (sometimes hot and sometimes hotter); 
and its long winters, (sometimes cold and sometimes 
colder); its plentitude of the mere necessaries of life, 
meat and drink, shelter and fuel, with utter destitution 
of all luxuries; its leisurely industry and humble pros- 
perity; Kinzie, the kindly link between the red man and 
the white, vying with the regular government agent in 
the purchase of pelts and the sale of rude Indian goods. 
Ill 1805 Charles Jouett was the United States Indian 
Agent here. He was a Virginian, son of one of the 
survivors of Braddock's defeat. How much of his time 
was spent here and how much elsewhere we do not 



♦See Appendix C 



G2 



THK CHICAGO MASSACRK OF l8l2, 



know. In Mrs. John H. Kinzie's charming book ' 'Wau- 
Bun" he is not even mentioned, which circumstance 
suggests that his relations with old John Kinzie were 
not cordial; a state of things to be expected, consid- 
ering their relative positions. He was an educated 
man and must have enjoyed the friendship of Jefferson, 
Madison and Monroe, judging by his appointment as 

Government Agent, 
first at Detroit, later 
at Chicago (1804), 
which latter post he 
resigned in 181 1, only 
to be reappointed in 
1817. 

It is probable that 
the Unite d vStates 
agent was at a disad- 
vantage in dealing 
with the Indians, as 
he would have to obey 
the law forbidding the 
supplying them with 
spirits; which law the 
other traders ignored. 
In Hurlbut's "Antiquities" a bit of "local color" 
gives with mnch vividness the condition of the prairie 
in those days. 

"In the holidays of 1808-9 ^^r. Jouett (then a wid- 
ower) married Susan Randolph Allen of Kentucky, and 
they made their wedding journey on horseback in Jan- 
uary, through the jungles, over the snow drifts, on the 
ice and across the prairies, in the face of driving storms 
and the frozen breath of the winds of the north. They 
had, on their journey, a negro servant named Joe Battles 
and an Indian guide whose name was Robinson; possibly 




CHARLES JOUETT. 



"> 



Till' DARK r.l'.lOKl. TUlv DAWN. ''•> 

the late chief Alcxaiuk-r Rohinsoii. A tt-am and waj^oii 
lollowc'd, convcyin*; llicir l)aj;.i;a<;c, and thty mat ked thi ir 
roulc for tJic beurfit of any fnturr fnirrlfrs." 

The govcinnicnl liad liicd to hclVicnd the- Indian iu 
every way. It did not forl)id private traders fmin deal- 
ing with him ; but it ajipointed aL;ents whose duty it was 
to Sell hiui <;()()ds at })iices barely sulTieient to evn'er cost 
and exiKiises. At the same time it forbade, under 
penalty, the supplying him with licpior iu any cpiantity, 
upon any pretext. rnhai)])ily the last-named kindly 
effort thwarted the first. The miserable savage loved 
the venal white who would furnish him with the poison. 
For it he would give not only his furs, but his food and 
shelter, his wives and children, his body and his ever- 
lasting soul. As the grand old Baptist missionary Isaac 
McCoy says, regarding the treat>- of isji. at which he 
was present: 

"At the treaty Topenebe, the principal chief of the 
Pottowatomies, a man nearly eight}- years of age [a long 
and constant friend of the Kinzies], irritated by the 
continued refusal on the part C)f the commissioners to 
gratify his importunities for whisky, exclaimed in the 
presence of his tribe: 'We care not for the land, the 
money or the goods. It is whisky we want. Give us 
the whisky.' After the l)usiness of the treat\- was con- 
cluded and before the Indians left the treaty grounds, 
seven barrels of whisky were given them, and within 
twentv-four hours afterward ten shocking murders were 
committed amongst them." 

To quote from Munsell's History of Chicago: 

Few and meagre are the records of occurrences on the banks 
of the Chicago during these quiet years. The stagnation in this 
remote corner of creation was in sharp contrast with the doings in 
the great world, for these were the momentous Napoleonic years. 
Austerhtz, Jena, Eylaii, Friedland, Wagratn, were fought between 
1S05 and 1809, and one wonders whether even the echoes of \h.z 



64 



THE^ CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



sound of those fights reached little Fort Dearborn. Yet the 
tremendous doings were not without their influence ; for it was 
Napoleon's " European System " and England's struggle against 
it that precipitated our war of 1812 ; and one trivial incident in 
that war was the ruin of our little outpost. 

The incidents of daily life went on in the lonely settle- 
ment, as elsewhere. 

There was the occasional birth of a baby in the Kinzie 
house, the fort or somewhere about, as there were several 
women here, soldiers' wives, etc. Those born in the 
Kinzie mansion and the officers' families we know about. 
But these were not all. There were at least a dozen 
little ones who first saw the light in this locality, whose 
play-ground was the parade and the river bank, whose 
merry voices must have added a human sweetness to 
this savage place ; whose entire identity, even to their 
names, is lost. The one thing we know about them is 
how they died, and that has been told in Part I. 




C'lIAP'ri.R II 



HI 1 1,1)1. Nc; oi" Tin: i iK.sr 1'»kt in;AknoKN. 





i 1:1, A \' I N ('. our 11 a r rat i ve 
lor a nioniciU, we here 
briii}^ upon llic scene aii- 
otlur ri,i;ure — the most 
(listin^uislR-d and heroic of all who 
Were to pla\- a part in the terrific 
tragedy which formed it^ climax — 
Willi. mi Wells. ^:= Tliis brave fel- 
low, horn of white parents, hut 
early stolen by Indians, and only 
restored after arriving; at manhood, 
was a friend and agent of (»eneral 
Harri.son, who was at that time Gov- 
ernor of the Indian Territory. Cap- 
tain Wells had come to Chicago in 
1803 on official duty, as appears by 
a license (which the writer hasliad 
the privile.i^e of inspectin^^) issued 
to Jean li. La Oeuness, to trade 
with the Indians. This paper is still in existence, in the 
possession of Dr. II. W. Tanner of Kaukaunee, Wis., hav- 
ing come to him from amoiii; the i)apers of Judj^e John 
Laweofr.reeii Hay. wl'.o was for many years agent of 
the American rjohn Jacob Astor's) Fur Company. The 
license bears the name <»f "William IKnry Harrison, 
Governor of the Indian Territory and Superintendent of 
Indian Affairs." and is signed "by order of the Gov- 



.\ '•ki:d-coat" of 1812. 



•See -\ppeudix E. 



G.J 



66 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

ernor. William Wells, Agent at Indian Affairs, Chicago, 
August the 30th, 1803." 

This license must have been signed in the old De Saible 
house. No fort was here yet, nor any government office 
or officer, so far as we know. Indeed, this page records, 
for the first time in history, the fact that William Wells 
was in Chicago before 181 2. Eight years later his niece 
was to appear on the scene, arriving as the bride of 
Captain Heald, then commanding Fort Dearborn. 

But to return to Captain Whistler and the embryo fort. 

A glimpse of early garrison-life appears in the personal 
narrative of Captain Thomas C. Anderson, published in 
Volume IX of the Wisconsin Historical Collection: 

During my second j-ear [1804-5] at Min-na-wack, or Mill- 
wack-ie [Milwaukee] Captain Whistler, with his company of Amer- 
ican soldiers, came to take possession of Chicago, At this time 
there were no buildings here except a few dilapidated log huts cov- 
ered with bark. Captain Whistler had selected one of these as a 
temporary, though miserable, residence for his family, his officers 
and men being under canvas. On being informed of his arrival I 
felt it my duty to pay my respects to the authority so much required 
by the country. On the morrow I mounted Kee-ge-kaw, or Swift- 
goer, and the uextday I was invited to dine with the Captain. On 
going to the house, the outer door opening into the dining-room, I 
found the table spread, the family and guests seated, consisting of 
several ladies, all as jolly as kittens. 

The fort consisted of a stockade large enough to con- 
tain a parade-ground and all the fort buildings, officers' 
quarters, barracks, offices, guard-house, magazine, etc., 
and also two block-houses, each built so that the second 
story overhung the lower, thus giving a vertical fire for 
musketry to guard against an enemy's setting fire to the 
house. One of these was at the southeast corner and the 
other at the northwest. There were entrances on the 
south side (Michigan Avemie), and on the north or water 
side, where a sunken road led down to the river. Mr, 



mTII.DINC, OK Till-: IIKST lOKT I)1:AK IM )KN 



c. 



> I 



lilanclKiici, ill his "Cliicai;() and ihc North west," says 
tliat the arinaiiKiit consisted of tlic imiskc-t and hayontt, 
and thirc- i)iri\s < 'f li.i^lit ai lilki y |)r<tl>ai)l\' I hi- old six- 
puuiukr, whirh threw a lonnd hall ahout d<»nl»U- tlu- si/e 
of a child's i]>l. 

licsitlc the fort, the govcrnnient put up an "Aj^cncy 
House," which stood on the river i)aiik just west of the 
sunken road that led from the fort to the water. Mrs. 
Kinzie describes this l)uildiii<^ as an old- lash ioned log- 




FORT DI-;Akl;uKX, i- 



■-■<•■*• 



a 



Strics, No. i6) 



house with a hall running through the middle, and one 
large rooiii on each side. Piazzas extended the whole 
length of the building, in front and rear. It ])layed a part 
in the final traged\-, and was destroyed with the fort 
on August 15. 1S12. 

Munsell's " History of Chicago" gives the following 
picture at and after the building of the first fort : 

When the schooner Tracy set sail and slowly vanished in the 
nortlr.vestern horizon, we may fancy that some wistful j^lances fol- 
lowed her. I'or those left behind it was the scverinj^ of all rej^iilar 
ties with " home," for years or forever. An occasional courier from 



68 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

Detroit or Fort Wayne brought news from the outside world; a rare 
canoe or bateau carried furs to Mackinaw and brought back tea, 
flour, sugar, salt, tobacco, hardware, powder and lead, dry goods, 
shoes, etc., perhaps a few books* and, best of all, letters ! But be- 
tweeu-tinies, what had they to make life worth living? Which of 
the compensations kiudNature always keeps in store, for even the 
most desolate of her children, were allotted to them? 

They had the lake for coolness and beauty in summer ; the for- 
est for shelter, warmth and cheer in winter ; masses of flowers in 
spring, and a few— very few— fruits and nuts in autumn, such as 
wild grapes and strawberries, wintergreen-berries, cranberries, 
whortleberries, hazel-nuts, walnuts, hickory-nuts, beech-nuts, etc. 
There was no lack of game to be had for the hunting, or fish for 
the catching. The garrison had cattle, therefore there was doubt- 
less fresh beef, milk and butter. So a "good provider," as John 
Kinzie doubtless was (we know that he was the soul of hospitality) 
would be certain to keep his wife's larder always full to over- 
flowing. 

The garrison officers' families made company for each other 
and the Kinzies and Jouetts ; the soldiers gave protection and a thou- 
sand other services to all, and the two fifers and two drummers 
made music— such as it w^as. This rude melody was not all they 
had, however, for John Kinzie was a fiddler as well as a trader and 
a silver-smiih ("Shaw-nee-aw-kee," or the "silver-smith," was his 
Indian name), and in the cool summer evenings, sitting on his 
porch, would send the sound of his instrument far and wk\e, over 
river and plain, through the dewy silence of the peaceful landscape. 

They had love and marriage, birth and death, buying and 
selling and getting gain ; and, happily, had not the gift of "second 
sight," to divine what lay before them ; what kind of end was to 
come to their exile. 

Mr. Went worth's Fort Dearborn speech (Fergus' His- 
torical Series No. i6, page 87) quotes, a letter he had re- 
ceived from Hon. Robert Lincoln, Secretary of War under 
President Garfield. From it we learn that no muster roll 
of the garrison at Fort Dearborn in 181 1 or 181 2 is on file 
at the War Department, but that the general returns of 



*John H. Kinzie used to tell how, as a boy, he learned to read from a spell- 
ing-book which was unexpectedly found in a chest of tea, and that books were 
associated with the smell of tea in his mind forever after. 



mJII.DiNG OK Till-: I'IRST I'OKT DI'tA Rn( )K N. 



r,!> 



the army show that the fort was garrisoned from June 4, 
1S04, lo June, 1S12, by a company of the I'lrsl Regiment 
of Infantry. In ihcsc rctnrns the streni^th of tlie K'li'ii- 
son, olTicers. nuisic'ians and privates, is ^iveii as follows : 
Under Captain John Whistler, Jnne 4, 1.S04, Cn)-, Ik-e. 31, 
1806, 66; vSept. 30, iS()(;, 77. Under Captain Xalhan 
Hcald. Sept. 30, iSio, 67 ; vSei)l. 30. tSti, 51, and Jnne 

The deficiency of records in the archi\es of the War 
Department may perhaps be acconnted for by the fact that 
the British, after the. so-called " battle " of lUadensbnrj^h, 
took Washington and bnrned all the government bnild- 



nigs. 



In iSii Ca]>tain Nathan Ileald, then in command of 
Fort Dearborn, went down to Kentucky, wliere he mar- 
ried Rebekah Wells daughter of Captain Samuel Wells 
and niece of William. t The newly married pair came up 
overland (probably folhjwing the trail marked by Mr. 
Jouett), bringing- the wedding treasures of the bride — 
silver, etc., and her own personal adornments, which in- 
teresting relics, after vicissitudes strange and terrible, are 
now in possession of her son. Darius Heald, and, with 
him, are depicted elsewhere in these pages. 

Mrs. Heald' s narrative of the.se events, as reported to 
me by her son, is as follows : 

lu the suinnier of \Xn, Captain Heald, then in command of 
Fort Dearborn, at Chica«;o. got leave of absence to go down to Lon- 
isville. to get married. He went on horseback, alone, traveling by 
compass. 

Thev were married, and after the wedding started north on 
horseback for Fort Dearborn. There were fonr horses — two for the 
bride and groom, one for the packs and blankets, and one for a little 



*See Appendix R for a muster roll dated Dec 31. iRio (the latest entry which 
gives namest, wherein are shown several who appear lattr as victims of the 

massacre. 

tSee Appendix E for additiotial details regarding the romantic historj- of 
the Wells and Heald families. 



70 THE CHICAGO :\rASSACRE OF i8ir. 

negro slave-girl named Cicel}-. This girl had begged so hard to be 
brought along that they could not refuse her request, although it 
was, as the Captain said, adding one more to the difRculties of mak- 
ing the long, lonesome, toilsome trip on horseback. They traveled 
by compass, as before. The horses were good ones, and not Indian 
ponies. Those that the Captain and his bride rode were thorough- 
breds, as was the one ridden by the slave-girl, and they had also a 
good one to carry the pack, so that they made the trip in about a 
week's time; starting Thursday, and reaching Fort Dearborn on the 
following Wednesday night, making about fifty miles a day. Noth- 
ing of importance occurred on the bridal trip; they arrived safely, 
and the garrison turned out to receive them with all the honors of 
war, the bride being quite an addition to the little company. 

Rebekah was much pleased with her reception, and found 
everything bright and cheerful. She liked the wild place, the wild 
lake and the wild Indians; everything suited her ways and dispo- 
sition, " being on the wild order herself," she said; and all went on 
very pleasantly. Among other gayeties there was skating in winter 
up and down the frozen river, and Ensign Ronan was a famous 
skater. Sometimes he would take an Indian squaw by the hands, 
she holding her feet still, and swing her back and forth from side 
to side of the little stream, until he came to a place where there was 
a deep snowdrift on the bank, when he would (accidentally, of 
course) loose his grip on her hands, and she would fly off into the 
snowdrift and be buried clear out of sight. 

In I Si 2 the peaceful quiet was rudely startled, then 
assaulted, then destroyed. The first breach of the peace 
was the killing by Mr. Kinzie (in self-defense) of one John 
Lalime, Indian interpreter a^; Fort Dearborn.-^ This was 
early in 1S12. It had, however, nothing to do with the 
friendliness or enmity of the redmen. 

The second event was of a different kind. A man 
named Lee,t who lived on the lake-shore, near the fort, 
had enclosed and was farming a piece of land on the 
northwest side of the South Branch, within the present 
"Lumber District," about half way between Halsted 
Street and Ashland avenue. It was first known as ' ' Lee's 



*See Appendix F. 

tThis name I find sometimes spelled " Lee," and sometimes " See." 



BITII.DINC. OI' TmC IIKST lOKT I H! AK IIOK V. 



Plaoc," afUrwanls as " I lanlscrahhlc." Il was occupied 
by one TJberty White, witli two oIIkt iikii and a hoy, 
the vSon of Mr. Lee; 

This spot was not far from the place where Pere Mar- 

(pietle j)ass- 

■4- 



'^^'^V!"' 



>r 



/ 



ed tlu- winter 
of 1674-75 ; 
perliajjs the 
very s a ni e 
ground. (See 
M n n s e 1 1's 
History of 
Chicago for a 
copy of the 
good Fath- 
er's journal, 
with jxirallel 
translation. ) 

Mrs. John 
Kinzie, first 
in a pamph- 
let dated in 
1836, and 
published in 
I 844, a n d 
later in W'au- 
Bun, gives 
an extremely 
pictures qu e 
r'->>^=*^'r ace o u n t of 

^.. _,.. the alarm, 

evidently ta- 
ken d o w n 
from the lips of those who had been present; namely 
her husband (then a boy), his mother, Mrs. John Kinzie, 
and his half-sister, Mrs. Helm • 




CABIN IN THE WOODS. 



'72 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OI^ I Si 2. 

It was the eveuiug of the 7th of April, 181 2. The children of 
Mrs. Kinzie were dancing before the fire to the music or their fath- 
er's violin. The tea-table was spread, and they were awaiting the 
return of their mother, who was gone to visit a sick neighbo-r. 
[Mrs. John Burns, living at about where is uow the crossing of Kin- 
zie and State Streets, had just been delivered of a child.] Suddenly 
their sports were interrupted ; the door was thrown open and Mrs. 
Kinzie rushed in pale with terror, and scarcely able to articulate. 

"The Indians ! The Indians !" 

"The Indians! What? Where?" 

"Up at Lee's place, killing and scalping!" 

With difiiculty Mrs. Kinzie composed herself sufficiently to give 
the information that while she was up at Burns's a man and a boy 
were seen running down with all speed to the opposite side of the 
river ; that they called across to give notice to Burns's family to 
save themselves, for the Indians were at Lee's place, from which 
they had just made their escape. Having given this terrifying news 
they made all speed for the fort, which was on the same side of the 
river that they were. All was now consternation and dismay. The 
family were hurried into two old pirogues [dug-out tree-trunks] that 
were moored near the house, and paddled with all possible haste 
across the river to take refutre in the fort. 



'fe^ 



Mrs. Kinzie goes on to give the fullest account we have 
of this initial murder, fitting prelude to the bloody drama 
to follow a few months later. Here is a condensation of 
her narrative : 

In the afternoon a party 01 ten or twelve Indians, 
dressed and painted, arrived at the I^ee house, and accord- 
ing to their custom, entered and seated themselves with- 
out ceremony. Something in their appearance and man- 
ner excited the suspicions of one of the family, a French- 
man [Debou], who remarked : *' I don't like the looks 
of those Indians ; they are not Pottowatomies." Another 
of the famih', a discharged soldier, said to a boy (a son 
of Lee): " If that is the case, we had belter get away if 
we can. Say nothing, but do as you see me do." As the 
afternoon was far advanced, the soldier walked leisurely 
toward the two canoes tied near the bank. They asked 



nUII.DING OK TIIIC IIKST ToKT Dl", AkUoKN. 



7:J 



N 



> 

■X. 

I— t 

O 

I 

00 
to 




74 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

where he was going. He pointed to the cattle which 
were standing among the hay-stacks on the opposite 
bank, and made signs that they must go and fodder them 
and then return and get their supper. 

He got into one canoe and the boy into the other. 
When thej^ gained the opposite side they pulled some hay 
for the cattle, and when they had gradualh^ made a cir- 
cuit so that their movements were concealed by the hay- 
stacks, they took to the woods and made for the fort. 
They had run a quarter of a mile when they heard the 
discharge of two guns successivel3\ They stopped not 
nor stayed until they arrived opposite Burns' s place 
(North State and Kinzie streets), where they called across 
to warn the Burns family of their danger, and then has- 
tened to the fort. 

A party of soldiers had that afternoon obtained leave to 
go up the river to fish. The commanding officer ordered 
a cannon to be fired to warn them of their danger. Hear- 
ing the signal they took the hint, put out their torches 
and dropped down the river as silently as possible. It 
will be remembered that the battle of Tippecanoe, the pre- 
ceding November, had rendered every man vigilant, and 
the slightest alarm was an admonition to " beware of In- 
dians." 

When the fishing-party reached Lee's place, [i was 
proposed to stop and warn the inmates. All was still as 
death around the house. They groped their way along, 
and as the corporal jumped over the small enclosure he 
placed his hand on the dead body of a man. By the sense 
of touch he soon ascertained that the head was without a 
scalp and was otherwise mutilated. The faithful dog of 
the murdered man stood guarding the remains of his 
master. 

Captain Heald, writing from the fort, gives a shorter 
statement, adding some further particulars : 



nun. DINT, OK Till-: i-ikst i-okt i)i:.\knoRN'. 



I') 



CiiiCA(.c), April 15, 1S12. — The ludiiiis liavt- roiniiiiMiccd hos- 
tililic'^ in this (nuirtir. < )n the sixth instant, a liltk' before siinstt, 
a i>;irly of rlcvfii Indians, snppost-tl to bi- Winnrhaj^ocs, caiiic to 

I^kssrs. Ku.isrll an<l See's cabin, in 
a field on the Torlaj^e liranch of the 
Chioaj^o River, abonl thrie miles 
from tile jjjarrison, wlure they mur- 
dered two men ; one by the name of 
Liberty While, an American, and the 
other a Canadian IVeiuhman wlujse 
name I do not know. [Debou.] While 
received two balls thron^^li his body, 
nine stabs with a knife in his breast, 
and one in his hip, his throat was cut 
from ear to ear, his nose and lips were 
taken off in one piece, and his head 
was skinneil almost as far round as they 
could find any hair. The I'renchman 
was only shot through the neck and 
scalped. Since the murder of these two 
men, one or two other parties of In- 
dians have been lurking about us, but 
we have been so much on ourguard they 
have not been able to get any scalps. 




HUMAN SCALP. 



Among all the tribes of .savages met l^y various immi- 
grations of Europeans, a tliousand differences of arms, 
implements, manners, habits and customs were observed. 
Some were more barbarous, others less; but there was one 
trophy, one weapon, one trait, invariable and universal — 
the bleeding scalp, the sharp scalping-knife. the rage for 
.scalping. This proves nutch. It shows that killing was 
not a mere means to an end, but the end aimed at. It 
shows that sheer, unadulterated, unmitigated murder 
was the ideal grace of manhood. The brain-pan of man. 
woman or child yielded its covering, torn away warm 
and quivering, and the pos.sessor was sure of the honor 
and favor of his fellows, men, women and children. No 
woman shed a tear over the locks of a sister woman ; no 
child over the curls of a babv. 



7(> 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRK OF l8l2. 



Savagery the world has ever known, and isolated in- 
stances of wholesale destruction of non-combatants in the 
drunkenness of victory : but there is no record of a whole 
race, consisting of many tribes, spread over many lands, 
endurin!^ for manv irenerations. where such diabolism was 
the general ethnic trait. 




CHArri-.R III 



KNGI.ISH AND INDIAN SAVA(;HS. 




lli: W INNlUiAGcjivS. wcob- 
M serve, are charged by Captain 
Hcald willi this outbreak of 
lawlessness. 

TIk Pottowatoniies always 
averred that they had nothing 
to do with the j^reat massacre, 
and this niav be true of the 



/- V 



tribe as a whole, but it is well known 

that many of its members, as well 

y|Kv^ as the Winnebagoes, had been en- 

V\'^ ^^ Kag^e<^l ^vith the Ottawas and Shaw- 

-i''-\ >\''^ nees at the battle of Tip]>ecanoe, 

, ♦,. i A'\ less than a vear before. The En- 

^ ■, :^/ glish. ever since the Revolution, 

^.jliSl^^^i^S^ ^^^ ^^" seeking their friendshij) 

— and our injurv — bv givinj:^ them 

INDIAN WARRIOR. .^ % , , i • r^ 

yearly presents at Maiden i\n Can- 
ada, near Detroit), and they placed much foolish reliance 
on the redmeu's help in prosecuting the war of 1S12. 
Foolish, because the unspeakable savage was only formid- 
able in sneaking hostilities against women and children, 
and against men unwarned and overmatched ; not in a 
fair. fight on equal terms. In all that contest they were 
simply murderously hostile. Wau-Bun gives an incident 
which displays their animus. In the spring of 1S12 two 
Indians of the Calamic fCalumet) band came to the fort 
to visit Captain Heald. One of them, Xau-non-gee, see- 
ing Mrs. Heald and Mrs. Helm playing battledoor on the 
parade-ground, said to the interpreter (probably John 



1 4 



/8 THE CHICAGO MASSACRK OF l8l2. 

Kinzie): '' The white chief s wives are amusing them- 
selves very much ; it will not be long before they will be 
hoeing in our cornfields." 

The service they rendered England is such as England 
should blush to receive. It was the service of inspiring 
terror in the hearts of the helpless. Two days after the 
massacre at Chicago, the unfortunate and execrated Gen- 
eral Hull surrendered Detroit to the British and Indians. 
Why did he do so ? He had suffered no defeat. He could 
have crossed the river and fought them with every pros- 
pect of victory. But could he leave that town at the 
mercy of fiends who knew no mercy ? He could have 
given battle at Detroit itself, but the British General 
(Proctor) kindly told him that if he should be compelled 
to assault he would not be able to control his Indian 
allies. Now, in case of defeat, Hull's army could take 
care of themselves, either as prisoners or fugitives ; but 
what might become of a thousand helpless, hapless 
women and children, and the wounded men he would 
have on his hands ? What would have become of them ? 
Read further on in this narrative and see ! 

So, in an evil hour for himself. General Hull took the 
merciful course, and innocent blood was spared. The 
fall of Detroit was directly due to non-militar}' caution, a 
mercifulness that had nothing to do with the hazard of 
civilized war and the fate of the army. The unfortunate 
commander, a man of undoubted courage, a man who had 
served his country through the Revolution, was tried by 
court-martial and condemned to death. The sentence was 
not carried out in form, but in substance it w^as, for he 
lived in obscurity, if not obloquy, and died with a stained 
name which is slowly recovering its proper place. 



Vain is it for apologists to try to shift on to local sub- 
ordinates the blame for the shameful course of Lord Liv- 



ENGLISH AND INDIAN SAVAGliS. 7'' 

erpool's o;overiiiiiLMit. The sanu- kin- was (iioiniiially) 
reigiiiiii; wlio had employed these same allies onl^' thirty 
years before. Oeorp^e Third was on the throne through 
both wars; that of tlu- Re\()lulion and that of 1S12. 
Knglish ears — such as were sensitive to just and bitter 
denunciation— must still, in iSi 2, liave been rin.s^dn<; with 
the public outcry atjainst the infam\- of ijy^-^j, Ivven 
England's own servants ])rotested against it. Doubtless 
they felt, as any gentleman nuist feel, that he who stays 
at home in personal safety and employs base minions to 
do his murdering, is more contemptible than are the 
minions themselves, for they at least take their lives in 
their hands when they set out. 

Where stand the guilty in this business ? Lower than 
wdiere we should stand if we had, during our Civil War, 
incited the negroes to the destruction of their masters' 
families, for the negro cannot be as cruel as the Indian 
could not helping being. Lowx-r than Russia would .stand 
if, in a war along the Afghan frontier, .she should scheme 
for a new Sepoy rebellion, with its ravishing md maim- 
ing of well born Engli.sh women. Such women were 
treated w^orse than even Dante's fancy could portray, and 
yet not worse than were the survivors of the Chicago 
Massacre. 

In the little settlement a wild season of alarm followed 
the double murder at Hardscrabble. The sur\iving civil- 
ians, consisting of a few discharged soldiers and some 
families of half-breeds, organized themselves for defen.se. 
They took for their stronghold the Agency Hou.se already 
mentioned as standing on the river-bank ju.st west of the 
fort. The house (as has been said) was built of logs and 
had porches on both its long sides. They planked up 
the porches, leaving loopholes for firing through, and set 
guards in proper military fashion. To quote once more 
from Munsell. 



80 THK CHICAGO MASSACRK OP l8l2. 

As this was outside of garrison duty, it must have required a 
volunteer force, organized and armed; and this seems to furnish a 
clue hitherto unmarked by any historian, to explain the presence 
of "twelve militia" who were mentioned by Captain Heald in his 
report as having taken part in the fight of August 15th, and as 
having been every one killed. No other mention of these devoted 
twelve exists in any form except the grim memorandum of death at 
the post of duty.* Evidently they must have been organized and 
armed under the auspices of the government force at this time, 
from the discharged soldiers and half-breeds, and perhaps included 
lyce, Pettell, Burns, Russell, etc., all of whom w^ere probably en- 
rolled and expected pay from the government, albeit their claim 
necessarily lapsed with their own death on that blocdj' day. 
In confirmation of this suggestion we have Mrs. Kinzie's remark 
(Wau-Bun, p. 244) that Lee, his son, and all his household, except 
his wife and daughter, liad perished in the affray. Also her men- 
tion of Mrs. Burns and her infant among the survivors ; no word 
being uttered about the busbandand father. 

The Kinzies did not return to their North Side house. Mr. 
Kiuzie had succeeded Lalime as government interpreter, and doubt- 
less the garrison needed his services almost continually. There 
were several slight alarms and disturbances. A night patrol fired 
at a prowling redman, and a hatchet hurled in return missed its 
mark and struck a wagon-wheel. A horse-stealing raid upon the 
garrison stables, failing to find the horses, was turned into an at- 
tack on' the sheep, which were all stabbed and set loose. These 
alarms and other things combined to show that the quiet of the 
preceding days had come to an end. The unspeakable Indian had 
been bribed, tempted and misled by the miserable Englishman to 
take up again his cruelties ; his burning, scalping, tomahawking, 
knifing and mutilation of combatants and non-combatants alike, 
men, women and children. 

War was declared by the United States against Eng- 
land on June 12, 18 12. Mackinaw was taken by the Brit- 
ish on July 16. Having Detroit to protect and a force of 
British and Indians to oppose, General Hull naturally 
aimed to mass his forces and abandon all indefensible 
otitlying posts, such as Fort Dearborn evidently was. 
Therefore, about August ist, he sent by Winnemeg, a 



*See Mrs. Kinzie's uarrative aud Captain Heald's letter, hereinafter quoted. 



r.NGMSlI AM) INDIANT SAVAGKS. 81 

friciully Iiuliaii. a (lisj)atc'li \n Captain IltaM, ordeiiiij; 
liiui lo cvaoiialc IIjj foil and in proceed to Detroit liy 
land with his command, leavin-^ il to liis <li>creti(>n to 
dispose- ( A thr i>ui.lic pro])ci l\- a> he mij;lit think projK.T.* 
Mr.-.. Kin/if, in Wan IJnn, says that the messeiij^er 
arrived on Ani^n^i jih, instead of the i;th wliich Cai)tnin 
Heahl nanus as the date of his receipt of the or<ler, and 
adds that tlie same kller ))ronght news of the declaration 
of war (which liad taken place about two months earlier) 
and of the loss of the post at Mackinaw. She also j;ives 
ns a new readini^ of the disi>atch, (piite difierent from that 
given 1)\- Captain Ileald. vShe says the orders to Cap- 
tain IKald were "to vacate the fort if practicable, and in 
that e\ent to distribute all the I'nited States proix?rty 
contained in the fort and in the I'niled States factory, or 
agency, among the Imlians in the neighborhood." This 
discrepancy between our twt) sources of information be- 
comes important in judging of the blame, if any, attrib- 
utable to Captain Ileald for the disaster toward which all 
were hastening. Guided by the ordinary rules of evidence, 
we must take Captain Ileald's version as the true one, 
and believe that the order was peremptory, only to Ik* 
disobeyed if the subordinate ofhccr felt sure that it wouUl 
not have been given if his >uperior had been on the spot ; 
and also that the distribution of goods was, on Captain 
Heald's part, a \oluntary concession intended to win the 
favor of the Indian — tlu incurable savage. 

It should here be stated that there is a broad diverg- 
ence — one might say a contradiction — between the Kin- 
zie account and the Ileald account of the occurrences of 
that troubled, appalling, disastrous time. Mr>. Kin/.ie 
says that Winnemeg privately told Mr. Kin/ie that the 
fort ought not to ]k- e\acuated. seeing that it was well 
supplied with provisions and aninuinition, and advised 

"^Sce Appcudix E. 



82 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF lSl2. 

waiting for reinforcements. Also that if Captain Heald 
\Tas to go at all, he should start at once, to get out of the 
way of the hostiles by a forced march while the Indians 
were dividing the spoil. (How many "forced marches" 
would it have taken to make that lumbering caravan safe 
from pursuit b}' the red runners of the wilds?) She says: 

The order for evacuating the post was read next morning upon 
parade. It is difficult to understand why Captain Heald, in such 
an emergency, omitted the usual form of calling a council of war 
with his officers. It can only be accounted for b3' the fact of a want 
of harmonious feeling between himself and one of his junior offi- 
cers — Ensign Rouan, a high-spirited and somewhat overbearing, 
but brave and generous young man. 

A "council of war" between the captain and his two 
lieutenants and (perhaps) the surgeon, to debate an un- 
conditional order received from the general commanding 
the division, does not strike the average reader as an 
"usual form. ' ' nor does any disaflfection on the part of the 
junior among the officers seem likely to enter into the 
question, one way or the other. But the suggestion 
throws a side-light on the unhapp}' state of things at Fort 
Dearborn. It seems unqtiestionable that this young en- 
sign was not in accord with his captain, and that the 
Kinzies. especially the young story teller. Mrs. Helm (who 
was Mrs. Kinzie's authority), sided with the junior — as 
was perhaps natural. To quote from Munsell: 

It becomes necessary here to call to mind the possible bias which 
mav have existed in the hearts of the narrators in handiusT down 
the story to Mrs. Kinzie, the writer of Wau-Bun, who probably 
never saw the principal actor in it, John Kinzie. he having died two 
years before her marriage with his son, John H. Kinzie. The lat- 
ter was only nine years old at the time of the massacre. His 
mother, however, ]Mrs. Kinzie, she did know well, also his aunt, 
Mrs. Helm [John's stepdaughter], from whose lips the Wau-Bun 
account of the massacre was taken down by her. It is quite certain 
that departure meant ruin to John Kinzie; for of all the property 
be had accumulated in his long, able, arduous and profitable busi- 



KNGI.ISII AM) INDIAN' SAVAGI-S. 88 

ness life, not a ha.ullul c.uM l.c- i-arricl awav l>y laiul An.l the 
event showol that he. iKrs.,nally. lia.l nothinK to fear fnin the 
Indians. 

Here is what Mrs. Ilcald says alxnit tlicsc luattcTs: 

It is all false almul any .jnarrel hetween k„nan an.l Captain 
IleaKl. riie ens.^n Ihon.^hl the worl.l of the captain, an.l «ave him 
a In- hook with iheir two names written it Amon^ the property 
recovered after the massacre was this hook, which the Indians 
thouoht was the Bihle. They woul.l pass their hands across the 
paires an.l jjoint significantly heavenwanl; Imt in fact the ho.,k was 
a dictionary an.l is still in possession of the familv. having been 
Ix.nnd in buckskin to preserve such part as has n.'u alrea.lv suc- 
cnmhe.l to the many vicissitu.les. Occasionallv In.lians w.nil.l 
come an.l steal horses when the men uere some distance awav cut- 
ting hay for the winter's supplies, and thev were :xpi to trv to get 
the scalp of any white person against whom thev ha.l anv hard 
feeling. 

Mrs. Ileald recalls a particular case where a sol.lier. a great 
stammerer, was out on picket, and from the block-house wiu.low 
she saw an Indian try to get between him and the fort. To attract 
the soldier's attention Captain Heal.l ha.l a gun fired, and the man 
when he saw his peril, starte.l homeward, the Indian at the same 
time starting to cut him off. The sol.lier was the best runner an.l 
when the Indian called out to him some taunting expression he 
looked over his shoulder and trie.l to shout a retort, but his stut- 
tering tongue made this take so l.^ng that he came near losing his 
life, though at last he got in safelv. 

In writing the story of the events of that eventful time, 
there being btit two sources of information— to some ex- 
tent divergent, even contradictory— one is tempted to 
print them in parallel columns and let the reader take his 
choice. Each has the same degree of authenticity, see- 
ing that Mrs. Helm, an actor in the tragedy, told Mrs. 
Kinzie the story, who gives it to us: while Mrs. Heald, 
also an actor (and besides, a badly wounded sufferer), told 
it often to her son, the Hon. Darius Heald, who gives it to 
us. But as the parallel columns might prove more con- 
troversial than interesting, the plan T have ptirsued is 



84 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



the presenting of undisputed facts, and, in case of con- 
troversy, the account which seems most probable, with 
the adverse side when necessary. 

NOTE. 

The Heald story is now for the first time made a part of per- 
maueiit history. In 1891, while writing the "Story of Chicago," 
I learned that Darius Heald, son of Nathan and Rebekah [Wells] 
Heald, was still living; whereupon I got him to come to Chicago 
from his home in Missouri, bringing all ihe relics and mementoes 
of his parents which he could find. He came, and sat for a por- 
trait with the relics by his side, and his entire story was taken down 
in short-hand from his own lips. The little which was available 
is included in my "Story of Chicago," and the remainder I caused 
to be published in the Magazine of American History, (See Ap- 
pendix K.) 




GEORGE THIRD. 



ciiapti:k i\' 



A LONG FAKICWELL. 



II-; iU])artiirc was iK)t ap- 
proved by all, if any. of 
the subordinate officers, li 
was urged on Ca]^. Heald 
that the command would be 
attacked; that the attack would 
have been made lont; before if 
it had not been for the Indians' 
regard for the Kinzies; that the 
helplessness of the women and 
children and the invalided and 
superannuated soldiers was sure 
to make the march slow and 
perilous, and that the place 
could well be defended. Captain 
^^ Heald pleaded his orders, and 
alleged that the place was not 

provisioned to stand a siege. 

Upon one occasion, as Captain Heald was conversing 
with Mr. Kinzie on the parade, he remarked: "I could 
not remain, even if I thought best, for I have but a 
small store of provisions." " Why. captain." said a sol- 
dier who stood near by, forgetting all eticpiette, "you 
have cattle enough to last the troops six months." " I?ut 
I have no salt to preserve it with." " Then jerk it," said 
the man, " as the Indians do their venison."* (Wau- 
Bun.) 




♦This is done by cuttinR the meat in thin slices and placing U on a scaflTold 
over a fire, which dries the meat and smokes it at the same t.mc. 

85 



86 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



Captain Heald, in his letter of Xovember 7th, 181 2 
(less than three months after the massacre), says of the 
Indians: " The neighboring Indians got the information 
as early as I did, and came in from all quarters in order 
to receive the goods in the factor}^ store, which the}- un- 
derstood were to be given them. The collection was 
unusuall}^ large for that place, but they conducted with 
the strictest propriety until after I left the fort." But 
Wau-Bun gives a different coloring to the matter, and 
with such circumstantiality that there seems necessarily 
to be some truth on the other side. Mrs. Kinzie says 
that there was dissatisfaction in the garrison amounting 
to insubordination (as instanced by the soldier's inter- 
ference in the captain's talk with Mr. Kinzie) and increas- 
ing insolence on the part of the Indians. The storj^ runs: 

Entering the fort in defiance of the sentinels, they made their 
wa}' without ceremony 
to the officers' quarters. 
On one occasion an In- 
dian took up a rifle and 
fired it in the parlor of 
the commanding offi- 
cer, as an expression of 
defiance. Some were 
of the opinion that this 
was intended among 
the young men as a sig- 
nal for an attack. The 
old chiefs passed back- 
wards and forw^ards 
among the assembled 
groups with the ap- 
pearance of the most 
lively agitation, while 
the. squaws rushed to 

and fro in great excite- squaw. 

ment and evidently prepared for some fearful scene, (Wau-Bun.) 

(As might be expected, the squaws often showed them- 
selves the most bitter, cruel and relentless partisans.) 




A LON'f. FAR i:\vi: 1. 1.. 87 

The feeling will intrude itself llial Captain Heald was 
too truthful, trustful, brave and good a man tu be a \x:r- 
fect Indian- fighter. He had none of tlie savage's traits 
except his courage. He was without guile, or craft, or 
duplicity, or cruelty. The soul of honor, he attributed 
good faith to his foe. A teniiK-rate man, he could not 
conceive of the insanity of maniacs to whom the tran- 
sient delirium of drunkenness is heaven on earth. 

We nuist remember that there is always a hard feeling 
between the military and the civil authority in every In- 
dian post — East Indian or American Indian — the sold-er 
holding the sword and the civilian the purse, each sligV»^1y 
envying the other what he possesses, and slightly despis- 
ing him for the lack of what he is deprived of. 

At any rate, Captain Heald (by and with the advice of 
Mr. Kinzie) concluded not to give the whisky and arms 
to the savages. He did what any of us, common-sen^e. 
reasonable men, ignorant of the worst traits of the most 
cruel of races, might have done. He doubtless reasoned 
thus: 

"I will destroy the means of frenzy and the imple- 
ments of murder; then I will win the grateful allegiance 
of the Indian by magnificent gifts; stores that will make 
him rich beyond his wildest dream of comfort and abun- 
dance. Then I will throw myself and these defenceless 
ones on his protection." 

Alas, he did not know with whom he was dealing! 
What is food and clothing to a devil demanding drink 
and gunpowder ? He got only insolence in return for 
what he gave them, and loud curses for what he with- 
held. At the same time Mr. Kinzie could plainly see 
that if his whisky was destroyed by the government he 
might be reimbursed for it, while if it was left to the 
Indians the loss would be absolute and total. 



88 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

Captain Heald held a council with the Indians on the 
afternoon of Wednesday, August 12, his juniors (accord- 
ing to Wau-Bun) declining his request to accompany 
him on the ground that they had secret information that 
the officers were to be massacred while in council; so he 
and Mr. Kinzie (interpreter) went boldly forth alone. 
When the two had walked out, the others opened the 
port-holes in the block-houses and trained the guns so as 
to command the assembly. No attack took place, and 
Captain Heald then promised the Indians a distribution 
of the goods — whether with or without any .express res- 
ervations we do not know. The Indians, on their part, 
promised to escort the train in safety. (This would indi- 
cate that the promise was made to one tribe, the Potto- 
watomies, and that opposition might be looked for from 
another, probably the Winnebagoes.) 

After the council, Mr. Kinzie had a long talk with Cap- 
tain Heald, whereat it was agreed that all surplus arms, 
ammunition and liquor should not be distributed, but 
destroyed. This is Mrs. Kinzie' s own account, and 
seems to set at rest the charge of bad faith (in not distrib- 
uting all the goods) which has been made by Heald de- 

cryers and Indian apologists. 

Ou the thirteenth* the goods, consisting of blankets, broadcloths, 
calicoes, paints, etc., were distributed as stipulated. The same 
evening the ammunition and liquor were carried, part into the sally- 
port, and thrown into a well which had been dug there; the remain- 
der was transported as secretly as possible through the northern 
gate, the heads of the barrels knocked in and the contents poured 
into the river. The same fate was shared by a large quantity oj 
alcohol belongifig to 3fr. Kinzie, which haS. been deposited in a 
warehouse opposite the fort. "^ 

The Indians suspected what was going on, and crept, serpent- 
like, as near the scene of action as possible, but a vigilant watch 
was kept up and no one was suffered to approach but those engaged 
in the affair. All the muskets not necessary for the command on 

:i:The italics are not used in the original. Mrs. Heald says that there was 
only one barrel of spirits in the fort. 



A I.ON(i FAR i:\Vl. I, I.. S',) 

tin- inarch wi-rr hrokcii up an<l ihruwii in llu- well, t<»^t'thcr with 
bav;s of shot, lliiiis, j^uii-scn ws and, in short, every weapon of 
offence. On the afternoon of llu: same day a serond conneil was 
held with the Indians. They expressed j^reat indi'^^nation at the de- 
sti notion of t!ie a:n:nnnition a:id li(]uor. X >twithstandin;^ the pre- 
cautions taken to preserve secrecy, the noise of knockinj.^ in the 
heads of the barrels had betrayed tlie operations, and so great was 
the qnantity of liquor thrown into the river that !.he taste of tlie 
water next niorninij was, as one expressed it. "strong grog." 
(Wan r.un narrative.) 

William \Wdls, with tlic courage and eiuliirancL' of his 
red foster-parents, and the faithful, h)ving h ^art of his 
own race, heard in some way (at Fort Wayne, where he 
was stationed) of the proposed evacuation of Fort Dear- 
born and the perilous flight to Detroit — nearly three hun- 
dred miles through the lonely "oak openings" of Michi- 
gan. His friends were here — his girl-friend, his own 
brother's daughter, Rebekah Wells Heald. was here. The 
thought of their danger summoned him like the sound of 
a trumpet to share it. He came at the head of a band of 
thirty Miami Indians, to guide, guard, help in every way 
the forlorn hope. It was too late to change the fatal 
plan, even if he would have tried to do so. He was a 
soldier, and obedience to orders was a part of his training. 
Besides, he knew the Indians, and tliey knew and re- 
spected him, and an expedition wliich would be desperate 
without his presence, might be changed by his help to a 
reasonable undertaking. If the v/hites had any friends 
amr ng the reds, he would be at the head of those friends 
to le.Kl them against the unfriendly. 

How the hearts of the troubled little settlement must 
have bounded as they saw the help approaching ! Fanc\ 
the scene ! 

On Friday, August 14th, when the sun was sinking m 
the West, there came along the lake-shore, stretched out 
beside the yellow sand-hills that extended southward 
clear down to the oak woods now marking the suburb of 



90 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2, 

Hyde Park, the band of mounted Indians, headed by the 
good and brave soldier who knew the Indians as well as 
they knew each other. Thej^ had tramped all the way 
from Fort Wayne, one hundred and fifty miles, charged 
with the kindly, dangerous task of escorting the entire 
Chicago community back along the pathless forest they 
themselves had just come through. 

Captain Heald unquestionably felt greatly reinvigora- 
ted, for this was an endorsement of his plan as well as 
help toward carrying it out. There could be no doubt at 
headquarters as to his coming, for here was an escorted 
officer arriving to bear him company. There was cer- 
tainly a warm hand-shaking between the officers as they 
came together, and — one would like to have seen the 
meeting between uncle and niece ! It was well neither 
could look forward twenty-four hours. 

Even now the die was cast, and those behind the scenes 
knew that all was lost. Black Partridge, a chief friendly 
to the whites, had received, for services rendered at the 
time of the treat}^ of Greenville,* a silver medal bearing 
on one side a portrait of Madison, and on the other 
clasped hands, surmounted by tomahawk and "calumet," 
or pipe of peace, with the words "Peace and Friend- 
ship." Now he approached Captain Heald and deliv- 
ered to him the significant emblem. His words, ren- 
dered by an interpreter, were these: 

" Father, I come to deliver to you the medal I wear. It 
was given to me by the Americans, and I have long worn 
it in token of our mutual friendship. But our young men 
are resolved to imbue their hands in the blood of the 
whites. I cannot restrain them, and I will not wear a 
token of peace when I am compelled to act as an enemy." 
(Wau-Bun.) 



*The treaty wherein the six miles square, which includes Chicago, wa j re- 
.served to the whites. 



92 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

This was equivalent to a declaration of hostilities, and 
a council of war, with Captain Wells as the most trusted 
adviser, would now have been most excellent. A plan of 
march should have been formed, including plan of battle, 
if battle should befall. Many advantages would be with 
the whites. For several days they would have the lake 
as their water supply and as a protection on one side. 
They had wagons to carry food, ammunition and the dis- 
abled, and to serve as a cover against musketry. They 
had between fifty and sixty armed and drilled regulars, 
twelve good militiamen and thirty Miamis, wdio could 
have been forced to fight if they had been properly held 
in hand — in all about one hundred men. They had a 
large supply of beef on the hoof, of which many, no 
doubt, were draught-oxen. On the whole, it is safe to 
say that, had they had a due sense of the condition of 
things, they might have made themselves, if not secure 
from attack, at least safe from annihilation; for, once 
massed behind the wagons, with the lake at their back, 
the first onslaught would have met such a rebuff as would 
have daunted the fickle Indian, who never perseveres 
against severe loss, no matter how great the stake or how 
heavy the damage he is inflicting on his enemy One 
may now see how the defence should have been con- 
ducted when the fatal onslaught did occur. The wagons 
massed along the shore, the troops — regulars, militia and 
Miami escort, every man and woman who could fire or 
load a gun — using these wagons as a breastwork and de- 
fending them and the non-combatants crouching behind 
them; this would have discouraged the assailants and 
given time for a parley, during which the friendly Indians 
could have made their influence felt. 

So easy it is to be wise after the event ! 

]^>Irs. Heald herself (through her son) gives us the fol- 
lowing narrative: 



A LONG lAKi:\VKIJ.. '''^ 

General Hull ha.l scut ..nk-rs U. Captain lIcaM to cvaruaU- the 
fort and come to Detroit, where he (Hull ) was in eoininaiul an.l pre- 
parinii for a battle. The luesseiiKer arrive-l at l\>rl I )earhnrn about 
August lo. The evacuation took place August i.S, 1^12. The dis- 
patch was brought by an In.lian. an.l the dale of the order showe.l 
that the fellow was a little too long in making the trip. He ^'ave 
some excuse for this when the captain rea.l the dispatch. He had 
.rotten lame, or his moccasins had worn out, or something had oc 
curred which made him a little late. Hut after Wells arrive.l-he 
came on the 12th or 13th, accompanied by thirty mounted Miamis 
—they talked the matter over and Wells said to Captain Heal.l : 
"Captain, that red rascal somehow or other was a longtime getting 
here. I fear he ha^ notified llie Indians along the way that the 
things will probably be distributed here ami there may be con- 
siderable of a crowd. I don't fear anything serious, but I had 
much rather the Indian had come right straight here. He had no 
right to know, unless he was told, what the order was. init he got 
posted somehow as to what his business was about." 

At the time Wells arrived there were a few Indians there who 
had found out that the fort was to be vacated, and by the time they 
left there was a considerable party of them collected, all scennngly 
friendlv with Captain Heald. Wells had very little idea there uas 
to be a fight on the way, yet ''smelt something in the air." Rut 
Captain Healds orders were to vacate, and he must obey them un- 
less something turned up that he could see was not right. They, 
however, .Uscussed the probabilities of a siege. They had but few 
provisions, but little ammunition, and thought there was but little 
risk iu going. Hcald's orders were to dispose of things as he 
thought best.^ There was but little whisky. He thought what they 
had Tone barrel) ought not to go into th^ hands of the Indians, nor 
should the munitions of war; and they took the whisky to a well 
that was inside the enclosure and poured il in, and what little arms 
and ammunition was left, besides what they took with them, was 

also thrown in. 

John Kinzie, the trader at the post, objected to their going away, 
sayincr that his business would be interfered with- perhaps ruined. 
Captain Heald said he was sorry for that, but that he had to obey 
orders unless there was something objectionable to keep him from 
it. He advised Kinzie, however, not to allow the Indians to get to 
his alcohol, of which he had a considerable quantity— to pour it on 
the -round or in the river, or do something to dispose of it; that it 
would be unsafe, under the circumstances, to let the Indians have 



94 



the; CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



it. Mr. Kinzie suggested that the governmeut might make this 
loss good, but this Captain Heald could not vouch for. The spirits 
were destroyed. 

Suppose the veteran, Wells, tired with the tramping, 
the trifling and the turmoil, mounted on the roof of the 
block-house at the northwest corner of the stockade, and 
in the shadow of its motionless flag, pausing, and looking 
about him — what does he see ? 

A lonely, weedy streamlet flows eastw^ard past the fort, 
then turns sharp to the right and makes its weak way by 
a shallow, fordable ripple, over a long sandbar, into the 
lake, a half mile to the southward. At his feet, on the 

river bank, stands the 
United States Agency 
Storehouse. Across the 
river and a little to the 
eastward is the Kinzie 
house, btiilt of squared 
logs by Jean Baptiste 
Pointe de Saible nearly 
forty years ago, now re- 
^ paired, enlarged and im- 
f proved by its owner and 
^' occupant, John Kinzie. 
A canoe lies moored to 
the bank in front of the 
house; when any of the 
numerous Kinzies wish 
to come to the fort they 
can paddle across ; when any one wishes to go over he 
can halloo for the canoe. Just west of Kinzie' s house 
is Ouillmette's cabin, and still further that of John Burns. 
Opposite Burns's place [near South State street] a 
swampy branch enters the river from the south, and on 
the sides of this branch there is a straggling lot of Indian 




WILLIAM WELLS. 



A LONG rAKK'.Vi:!,!,. 



on 



Wigwams — oniiiioiissiglit ! The iDrlli side of the river is 
all wooded, except wIktc little garden-patches are cleared 
around the human hahitations. The observer may see 
the forks of the stream a half-mile to the westward, hut 
he cannot trace its branches, either "River ('.uarie," to 
the north, or " Tortaj^e River," to the south, for the trees 
hide them. Near him, to the west and south, sandy flats, 
grassy marshes and general desolation are all that he can 
sec. (Will that barren waste ever be worth a dollar an 
acre?) Beyond, out of sight, past the bend of the vSoutli 
Branch, is Lee's place, with its fresh blood-stains and its 
two grassless graves. 

And so his eye wanders on, across the sandy flat, across 
the Indian trail, leading west of south, and the lake-shore 
trail which he himself 
came over, and finally 
rests with relief on the 
lake itself, the dancing 
blue water and the sky 
that covers it. 

It is said that he who 
is about to die has some 
times a "second sight," a 
gift of looking forward to 
the days that are to fol- 
low his death. 

Suppose the wear}' and 
anxious observer now to 
fall asleep, and in dreams 
to be gifted with this 
prophetic foresight, and 
todiscern the change that four-score years are to bring. 

It is 1S92. Close at hand he sees the streamlet, now a 
mighty channel — a fine, broad, deep water-way, running 
straight between long piers out to the lake, and stretch- 




KKUHKAH (WELLS) HE.VLD. 



96 The Chicago massacre of 1812. 

ing inland indefinitely; bordered by elephantine elevators, 
spanned by magnificent draw-bridges, each built of steel 
and moved by steam; carrying on its floods great pro- 
pellers of 100,000 bushels of grain capacity. Looking 
north, west and south, he sees serried ranks of enormous 
buildings towering for miles on miles, each one so tall as 
to dwarf the fort and the block -house to nothingness. He 
sees hundreds of miles of paved streets, thronged with 
innumerable passengers and vehicles moving hither and 
thither, meeting and impeding each other, so that some- 
times so many try to pass that none can pass; all must 
wait until the uniformed guardians of the peace bring 
order out of chaos. Every acre of ground in sight is 
worth millions of dollars. 

His dreaming ears must be stunned by the thunder of 
commerce, his nostrils shocked by the smell of the vast 
food -factories, his skin smutched wnth the smoke of the 
burning fuel all about him, to keep these wheels in mo- 
tion. Bewildered and dumfounded, even more wearied 
than he had been by his waking view, he would fain turn 
his eyes to the east and rest them on the shining calm of 
the great lake, the dancing blue water and the sky that 
covers it* 



And so we bid him good-bye. Whatever dream visited 
his tired soul that Friday night was his last. The next 
day was the one whereon his heroic death was to crown 
his brave, loving, faithful, fruitless effort to shield the 
innocent and helpless from a relentless doom. 

As the fatal Saturday has been fully treated in Part 
First of this book, I now pass on to the dark days which 
foUow^ed it, and gather up the details, meager and scanty, 
of the later life of the survivor's, and their death, so far 
known to the living world. 



CilAl'Tl-K V. 



FATi-: nv Tin: ri'c.iTivics. 




\'I'!RV word l)caring uj)on 
llicn(l\ciiliirc-s«)f Ihc liaiid- 
Inl of Cliica<;(Xins left alive 
on Sunday, Aiij;ust 16II1, 
ivSi2, lias hccii carefully 
looked up and faithfully 
transcribed. Those words are 
few enounh; the silence and 
darkness that enshroud their 
fate are more pathetically elo- 
(juent tlian speech could well 
l)e. 
TohcL'in with the Il.alds, who, as 
we liave seen, were brought a<;ain 
.--.(B^ toj;ether on the rnorniu}; of August 
i6tli, by the half-breed, Chandonnais. 
Darius Heald continues iiis report of 
his mother's narrative, as follows: 

It is thougl;tthat the Indians went off down the lake to have "a 
general froHc ;" in oIikt words, to tortnre to <kath the wouiuied 
prisoners. On the niv;hl cf the si.Kteenlli. Captain and Mrs. Ilealtl, 
accompanied by an IncUan named Robinson Iprohably Chief R«>b- 
inson, well known in Chicago for many years], embarke«l in a 
canoe and, niunolested, connnenced their jonrney to Mackinaw. 
Chandonnais' friendship was no half-way matter. They traveled 
all that night and all next <lay, until late in theevenin;.;, when they 
saw a young deer coming down to the water in a little clump of 
bushes to get a drink. They drew as near the shore jus possible, 
and the Indian lad stepped out and wadid to ll;e sh»)re, skipjnd 
down the bank behind the deer and shot it. Then they pitrluil 
camp, dressed the deer, using the hide as a knea<linvi-board, 
whereon Mrs. Heald stirred up some flour (they having brought a 



98 THK CHICAGO MASSACRK OF l8l2. 

little in a leather bag from the fort) into a stiff paste, which she 
wound around sticks and toasted over the fire ; and this Captain 
Heald afterward declared to be the finest bread he ever ate. 

Here should come in, (according to Mrs. Helm's ac- 
count in Wau-Bun) mention of a halt of some days at the 
mouth of the St. Joseph's river. It seems to me quite 
probable that the lapse of time had obliterated from Darius 
Heald's memory that part of his mother's narrative; or 
that he passed over, in talking to the stenographer, a 
matter which a timely question would have brought otit. 
(See the Wau-Btm story, further on.) 

They pushed on to Mackinaw, as Captain Heald said he had no 
chance of getting clear except b}' going to a British officer, and it 
was here that his parole was taken. It happened that Captain 
Heald and the officer in command at Mackinaw were both Free 
Masons, and Mrs. Heald says that they went off into a room 
by themselves, and that Captain Heald told his story and asked for 
help. He said that the Indians would pursue them, would not be 
more than twenty-four hours behind, and that a body would over- 
take them, and asked the British officer if he could protect them. 
The British officer said it would be a very hard matter in the fix 
they were in. If the Indians came down they might be overpow- 
ered ; but that he would do this: He had a little "sailer" [a sail- 
ing-boat], and he would put Captain Heald and his wife in that and 
anchor it near the shore, and as soon as there were signs of Indians 
would signal them to start. He then took out his pocket-book and 
told Captain Heald to help himself "But," said Captain Heald, 
"we may never meet again." "That," said the officer, "makes no 
difference. You have a wdfe and I have no one on whom to spend 
money. I can do without it. You take ic and use it, and if it is 
ever convenient to send it back you may do so." Mrs. Heald says 
she never knew why the officer should have been so kind to them, 
but laid it to the fact of their both being Masons ; but said she 
"could never get anything out of him" (Captain Heald), although 
she tried more than once, and that she " never expected to get to 
know Masonic secrets." 

However, Captain Heald did not take the money of the noble 
and generous enemy, for he had at that moment some two hundred 
dollars, probably in gold, which his provident wife had .sewn in the 
cuffsof his undershirt, a circumstance which would indicate that 
she. at least, foresaw possible tribulation before they left the fort. 



I'ATK or Tin: fucitivks. UU 

Tlu- In«lians cjiiik- in slight lookiiij^ otu- Inindrcd strouj^, ami ihc 
British olVutr ii;;ivi- IIk- si)^n f<»r Ihi- little boat to iikjvo on. Tlu-y 
went down to Detroit, and theme to I'lntlalo, wlum e they c^o^^' 1 
to rittshnrj.^ and wiiil <l()\vn tin- Ohio River, havin}^ procured, 
through an ollicer, some eonveyance hy \vhieh to go <lo\\n the 
river, ami they then drifted down, j)art of the way \)y boat and part 
of the way hy raft, and in this way reache«l Kentmk) soil. Tin y 
reached Mrs. Ileald'sold home l)y night, ])ast midnight, and rajjptd 
for admittance. Colonel Samuel Wills asked, "Who's there?" 
"A friend." said Captain Ileald. " Well, who are you?" "Well. 
I am a friend." Mrs. Heald then s])oke up and said, "Yes, two 
fiiends." Colonel Wells thought he recogni/.ed a woman's voice, 
and came to the door and opened it. and found himself face to face 
with his daughter, whom he had not seen for nearly two years, 
whom he had supposed to be dead, who left him as a bride and re- 
turned home as a wounded prisoner. They had been two months 
on the way from Fort Dearborn to Kentucky. 

Before her death, in 1S56. Mrs. Heald had dictated to Mr>. Kerr, 
her niece, a lar<je number of facts connected w ith her life. The 
manuscript was foolscap, and contained, Mr. Heald thinks, some 
hundreds of pages. It was in existence up to tV.e time of the Union 
War, and he remembers seeing it wrapj)ed up in a news[)aper and 
lied with twine, at the Heald residence, in St. Charles County. Mis- 
souri, near the town of O'Fallon. During one of the incursions of 
Union soldiers the house was ransacked from top to bottom. Cap 
tain Heald's sword was taken away, and, greatest loss of all, that 
manuscript then disappeared. Mr. Heald thinks j)robably <le- 
stroyed — burned among other papers supposed to be of no value. 

A negro boy, who had been raised by Mr. Heald. received word 
that that sword had been left somewhere not far from home, and 
was then being used as a corn-knife, and he obtained it ami brought 
it back to Mr. Heald. who recognized it as what was left of his 
father's old sword ; but alas ! the manuscrijU has never been heard 
of — probr^bly never will be. This is the neare-t aj^proach now |>os- 
sible to a reproduction of the facts it contaiiied. 

The Wau-Bun narrative is more circnnistaiitial, if not 

more trustworthy, and tends naturally in a dincrent 

direction. It j^oes on : 

Along with Mr. Kinzie's party was a noncommissioned oflicer 
who had made his escape in a singular manner. As the troeips were 
about leaving the fort it was found that the baggage horses of the 



100 a'HK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

surgeon had strayed off. The quartermaster-sergeant, Griffith, was 
sent to collect them and bring them on, it being absolutely neces- 
sary to recover them, since their packs contained part of the sur- 
geon's apparatus and the medicines for the march. 

This man had been for a long time on the sick report, and for 
this reason was given the charge of the baggage instead of being 
placed with the troops. His efforts to recover the horses being un- 
successful, he was hastening to rejoin his party, alarmed at some 
appearances of disorder and hostile indications among the Indians, 
when he was met and made prisoner by To-pee-nee-be. 

Having taken from him his arms and accoutrements, the chief 
put him in a canoe and paddled him across the river, bidding him 
make for the woods and secrete himself This he did, and the 
following day in the afternoon, seeing from his lurking-place that 
all appeared quiet, he ventured to steal cautiously into the garden 
of Ouilmette, where he concealed himself for a time behind some 
currant-bushes. 

At length he determined to enter the house, and accordingly 
climbed up through a small back window into the room where the 
family were. This was just as the Wabash ludians left the house of 
Ouilmette for that of Mr. Kinzie. The danger of the sergeant was 
now imminent. The family stripped him of his uniform and ar- 
rayed him in a suit of deerskin, with belt, moccasins and pipe, like 
a French engage. His dark complexion and large black whiskers 
favored the disguise. The family were all ordered to address him 
in F ench, and although utterly ignorant of the language, he con- 
tinued to pass for a Weem-tee-gosh,^ and as such to accompany 
Mr. Kinzie and his family, undetected by his enemies, until they 
reached a place of safety. 

On the third day after the battle, the family of Mr. Kinzie, with 
the clerks of the establishment, were put into a boat under the care 
of Francois, a half-breed interpreter, and conveyed to St. Joseph's, 
where they remain2d until the following November, under the pro- 
tection of To-pe-nee-bee's band. They were then conducted to De- 
troit under the escort of Chandonnais and their trusty Indian 
friend, Kee-po-tah, and delivered up as prisoners of war to Colonel 
McKee, the British Indian Agent. 

Mr. Kinzie was not allowed to leave St. Joseph's with his family, 
his Indian friends insisting on his remaining and endeavoring to 
secure some remnant of his scattered property. During his excur- 
sions with them for that purpose he wore the costume and paint of 

*Frenchraan. 



r'ATi: < 'I" '1 HI': 1 rorrivi-s. 



i<Ji 



the tiilu-, in Dftkr to c.sca|)e capture and piThipsdcatli at the liaiulH 
of those who were still llnrslinj; (or hlood. In Imie, however, bU 
anxiety (or his fainily inihire<l him to foUow them to I)etrc»it, where 
in thi- month of Jinnary he was received and parole^l by General 
Proctor. 

(\iplain and Mrs. lUild had hnu sent across the lake to St. 
Joseph's, the day alter the battle. The lonner hud receive*! two 
wounds ami the latter seven in the enjiagement. 



/ 









v? 




ALKXANDHR KOniNSON (iu old age). 
Chief ofthe Pottowatomies, Chippcwas ami others. 

Lieutenant Helm, who was likewise wounded, was carried by 
some friendly Indian to their villa<;e on the An Sable, and thence 
to Peoria, where he was liberated by the intervention of Mr. 
Thomas Forsyth, the half-brother of Mr. Kinzie. Mrs. Helm had 
accompanieil her parents to St. Joseph's, where they reside<l in the 
family of .Vlexander Robinson,* receivinj.; from them all possible 
kindness and hospitality for several months. 

♦This Poltowatoiniv chief, well known to many of the citizeus of Chicago, 
was residing at Au.x IMaiues when Wan- Bun was written. 



102 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

After their arrival in Detroit Mrs. Helm was joined by her hus- 
band, when they were both arrested, by order of the British com- 
mander, and sent on horseback, in the dead of winter, through 
Canada, to Fort George, on the Niagara frontier. When they 
arrived at that post there seemed no official appointed to receive 
them, and notwithstanding their long and fatiguing journey, in 
weather the most cold and inclement, Mrs. Helm, a delicate woman 
of seventeen years, was permitted to sit waiting in her saddle, 
without the gate, for more than an hour before the refreshment of 
fire or food, or even the shelter of a roof, was offered to her. 
When Colonel Sheaffe, who had been absent at the time, was in- 
formed of this brutal inhospitality, he expressed the greatest indig- 
nation. He waited ou Mrs. Helm immediately, apologized in the 
most courteous manner, and treated her and Lieutenant H. with 
the most considerate kindness, until, by an exchange of prisoners, 
they were liberated and found means to reach their friends in Steu- 
ben County, New York, 

Captain Heald had been taken prisoner Ij}- an Indian from the 
Kankakee who had a strong personal regard for him, and who, 
when he saw the wounded and enfeebled state of Mrs. H., released 
her husband that he might accompany his wife to St. Joseph's. 
To the latter place they were accordingly carried, as has been 
related, by Chandonnai and his party. In the mean time, the 
Indian who had so nobly released his prisoner returned to his 
village on the Kankakee, where he had the mortification of finding 
that his conduct had excited great dissatisfaction among his band. 
So great was the displeasure manifested that he resolved to make a 
journey to vSt. Joseph's and reclaim his prisoner. News of his 
intention being brought to To-pee-nee-bee and Kee-po-tah, under 
whose care the prisoners were, they held a private council with 
Chandonnai, Mr. Kiazie and the principal men of the village, the 
result of which was, a determination to send Captain and Mrs. 
Heald to the island of Mackinac and deliver them up to the British. 
They were accordingly put in a bark canoe and paddled by Robin- 
son and his wife a distance of three hundred miles along the coast 
of Michigan, and surrendered as prisoners of war to the command- 
ing officer at Mackinac. 

This, though discordant with the shorter report received 
from the Healds, certainly seems to have sound basis of 
truth. I have no doubt that the Captain and his wife 
did halt at St. Joseph's and that John Kinzie had some- 



TATK OF Till'. I rtilTIVlCS. 1**'^ 

tiling to do with their further journey to Mackinac. 
Wall- Bun proceeds : 

As an instaiuc- of the procrastiiiatiiiK spirit of Captain IIcaM it 
may be mentioned that even alter he had reeeived certain intelW- 
gence that his In.han captor was on his way from the Kankakee to 
St. Joseph's to retake him, he wonl.l still have delayed another 
day at that place to make preparation for a more comfortable 
jonrney to Mackinac. 

Mrs. Hehn's acutcness in finding Haws in Ca])tain 
Heald is quite interesting. Ikit as this Kankakee infor- 
mation must have come entirely through Indian channels, 
and as the savage plan is ever to strike first and warn 
afterward, I am prone to suspect that he api)lied the 
" personal equati(m." and made light of the tale; and 
that there was in fact little in it to frighten a brave man 
and his heroic wife. {Per contra, .see the Mackinaw in- 
cident.) 

The soldiers, with their wives and surviving children, were dis- 
persed among the .lifTereut villages of the Pottowatoniies, upon the 
Illinois, Wabash and Rock River, and at Milwaukee, until the fol 
lowing spring, when they were, for the most part, carried to De- 
troit and ransomed. 

We should like to believe the hopeful views here given 
regarding the fate of the remaining prisoners. In truth, 
thts account is as well authenticated as is that given in 
theNiles' Register, as copied from a Platt.sburgh (X. Y.) 
newspaper, and given later in this work. 

Mrs. Burns, with her infant, became the prisoners of a chief who 
carried her to his village and treated her with great kindness. His 
wife from jealousy of the favor shown to the white woman and 
her child, aluavs treated them with great hostility. On one occa- 
sion she struck the infant with a tomahawk, and narrowly nns.scd 
her aim of puttin- an end to it altogether.* They were not Iouk 
left in the power ofthe old hag. after this demonstration, but on 

the first opportunity carried to a place of safety. 

♦Twenty-Tvvolnear's^fter this, as I was on a jouruey to Chicago iu the sieanicrr 
Uncle Sam. a voung woman, lu arini; my n.nme, introduccl herself to mv an-l 
raising her hair from her forehead, showed me Uie mark of the tomahawk 
which had so uearly been fatal to her. (Mr^. Kiuzie. m Wau-Bun ) 



104 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

The family of Mr. Lee had resided in a house on the lake-shore, 
not far from the fort. Mr. Lee was the owner of Lee's Place, which 
he cultivated as a farm. It was his son who ran down with a dis- 
charged soldier to give the alarm of "Indians" at the fort on the 
a ternoon of the yth of April. The father, the son, and all the other 
members had fallen victims on the i5tliof August, except Mrs. Lee 
and her young infant. These were claimed by Black Partridge aud 
carried to his village on the Au Sable. He had been particularly 
attached to a little girl of Mrs. Lee's, about twelve years of age. 
This child had been placed on horseback for the march, and as she 
was unaccustomed to the exercise, she was tied fast to the saddle, 
lest by any accident she should slip off or be thrown. 

She was within reach of the balls at the commencement of the 
engagement, and was severely wounded. The horse set off on a full 
gallop, which partly threw her, but she was held fast by the bands 
which confined her, and hung dangling as the animal ran violently 
about. In this state she was met by Black Partridge, who caught the 
horse and disengaged her from the saddle. Finding her so much 
wounded that she could not recover, and that she was suffering great 
agony, he put tlie finishing stroke to her at once with his tomahawk. 
He afterwards said that this was the hardest thing he ever tried to 
do, but he did it because he could not bear to see her suffer. 

He took the mother and her infant to his village, where he be- 
came warmly attached to the former — so much so that he wished 
to marry her; but, as she very naturally objected, he treated her 
with the greatest respect and consideration. He was in no hurry 
to release her, for he was in hopes of prevailing on her to become 
his wife. In the course of the winter her child fell ill. Finding 
that none of the remedies within their reach were effectual, Black 
Partridge propoped to take the little one to Chicago, where there 
was now a I'rench trader living in the mansion of Mr. Kinzie, and 
procure some medical aid from him. Wrapping up his charge 
with the greatest care he set out on his journey. 

When he arrived at the residence of M. du Pin, he entered the 
room where he was, and carefull}' placed his burden on the floor. 

" What have you there ? " asked M. du Pin. 

"A young raccoon which I brought you as a present," was the 
reply, and opening the pack he showed the little sick infant. 

When the trader had prescribed for its complaint, and Black 
Partridge was about to return to his home, he told his friend his 
proposal to Mrs. Lee to become his wife, and the manner in which 
it had been received. 



i 



FATi. (.F Tin: I rcrrix i-.s. lor) 

M. <lu I'll, MiUrlaiiu.l M.mc Iimis th.a Uk- . 1,m I s ivsoiul.oii 
tni.^hl net hol.l „ut. tolcavfil in ilu- la.lv IhtmK w1u-i1kt lo receive 
lusa.l.In-sscsor.u.t, so he ciiUmI at <,.kv .nl„ a iuy.,tiatioii for 
iH-r ian^..,n. and so erfcclually wrought upon Hk.^.m..! (wWu^s of 
Hlack I'artridjre that he eonsciilcl I., \n\uy, his fair prisi.nfr at once 
to Chicago, that she iiii-ht he restored to her frieu.Is. 

Whrth.r the kind trader ha.l at the outset any other feclit.K 
thansyini)athy and hroiherly kin.hiess. we eanno't s^iy-wc only 
know that in processor tin.e, Mrs. I.ee hecan.e Madame dn I'in, 
ati.l that thex lived toKcther in great liappiness n,r many years after! 
SodisapiKMi-s, from earliest CliicaKo annals, tin- name 
of Lee. The father had been a honsehohkr. living Mune- 
where about where the new Public IJljrary is now build 
in.^^ and his farm was (after Pere Marquette's "eabinage"; 
the very first settlement on tho West Side of the vSouth 
Branch or " Portage River." His s.,n escaped from the 
murderers at " Ilardscrabble" in spring, only to peri.sh. 
wilh his father, during the massacre, or perhaps in the 
"general frolic" that followed. Then the widow be- 
comes Mrs. du Pin and we hear no more of the Lees. 
There is a grim completeness about the domestic drama. 
On Friday it has father, mother, son, daughter and baby, 
on vSaturday, father and son are killed in battle (or l>y 
torture) and daughter mangled by a horse's feel and fin- 
ished by a tomahawk ; a few months later the j.uny babv 
is brought in to be " doctored " and then the widow 
marries again and lives on "in great happiness." 

The fateofXau-non--ee. one of the chiefs of tlie Cahiniet vil- 
lage, and who is mentioned in the earlv part of the narrative, 
deserves to Ijc recorded. 

During the battle of the i.stli of .August, the chief ohjtet of his 
attack was one Sergeant Hays, a man from wh..m lie ha.l received 
many acts of kindness. 

After Hays had received a ball through the l)o<ly. this Indian 
ran up to tomahawk him, when the Sergeant, collecting his 
remaining strength, piercetl him through the body wilh his bayonet. 
They fell together. Other Indians running up socm dispatche.l 
Hays, an.l it was not until then that his bayonet was extracted 
from the body of his adversary. 



106 



THE CHICAGO MASvSACRE OF l8l2. 



The wouuded chief was carried after the battle to his village on 
the Calumet, where he survived for several days. Finding his end 
approaching, he called together his young men, and enjoined them 
in the most solemn manner to regard the safety of their prisoners 
after his death, and to take the lives of none of them, from respect 
to his memory, as he deserved his fate from the hands of those 
whose kindness he had so ill-requited. 




■'^y 



Proir "Cyclopaedip o United States History."— CopyrlRht, 
1881, by Harpei * BrotherB^ 

TECUMSEH. 



CI1.\I''IM'.R \'I. 

JOHN KI.\/.Ii;'s CAI'TI\-ITY. 

\\'\\ AW, and always were (and I 
liope alwa\ s \\i!l Ik- ), anythinj^ 
but a " niilitai >• nation." 181;^ 
opened very ghxMnily for the 
United vStates ; hnt, as our quiet 
country has showi' in several times of 
trial, it takes some disaster to wake 
up Americans to the claims of the 
land they love and the government 
they themselves have made. lUmker 
Hill was a defeat, in form, but the 
patriots only fell back a little way ; 
^^tlien halted and quietly remarked : 
"We have several more hills to sell 
"^at the same price," the price being 
such a loss as the British army had rarely met. The 
war of 18 1 2 besran with the loss of Mackinaw and Detroit 
on land and the friL;;ate Chesapeake at sea ; but Scott at 
Chippewa and Lundy'sLane, Harrison at the Thames and 
Jackson at New Orleans caused all land reverses to be 
forgotten ; while Perry's victory (»n Lake Mrie, together 
with a splendid cluster of triumphs on the <xx\an. gave 
our navy a lustre which it has never lost or suffered to 
become tarnished. 

Curiously enough, Mr. Kin/.ie. our own Chicago pio- 
neer, was a witness to the finish of the i;lorious day at 
Put-in-bay, in announcing which Commodore Oliver 
Hazard Perry added to our war-cries the imnKjrtal words, 

" We have met the enemy and they are ours." 

107 




*^*-- 



108 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

Here is Mrs. Kinzie's narrative of the captivity of her 
father-in-law, embodying his experiences at that time : 

CAPTIVITY OF JOHN KINZIE. 

It had been a stipulation of General Hull at the surrender of 
Detroit that the inhabitants of that place should remain undis- 
turbed in their homes. Accordingly the family of Mr. Kinzie took 
up their quarters with their friends in the old mansion which many 
will still recall as standing on the north-east corner of Jefferson 
Avenue and Wayne Street. 

The feelings of indignation and sympathy were constantly 
aroused in the hearts of the citizens during the winter that ensued. 
They were almost daily called upon to witness the cruelties prac- 
ticed upon American prisoners brought in by their Indian captors. 
Those who could scarcely drag their wounded, bleeding feet over 
the frozen ground, were compelle 1 to dance for the amusement of 
the savages, and these exhibitions sometimes took place before the 
government house, the residence of Colonel McKee. vSome of the 
British officers looked down from their windows at these heart- 
rending performances ; for the honor of humanity we will hope 
such instances were rare. 

Everything that could be made available among the effects of the 
citizens were offered, to ransom their countrymen from the hands 
of these inhuman beings. The prisoners brought in from the River 
Raisin— those unfortunate men who were permitted, after their 
surrender to General Proctor, to be tortured and murdered by 
inches by his savage allies, excited the sympathies and called for 
the action of the whole community. Private houses were turned 
into hospitals, and every one was forward to get possession of as 
many as possible of the survivors. To effect this even the articles 
of their apparel were bartered by the ladies of Detroit, as they 
watched from their doors or windows the miserable victims being 
carried about for sale. 

In the dwelling of Mr. Kinzie, one large room was devoted to 
the reception of these sufferers. Few of them survived. Among 
those spoken of as the objects of deepest interest, were two young 
gentlemen of Kentucky, both severely wounded, and their wounds 
aggravated to a mortal degree by subsequent ill-usage and hard- 
ships. Their solicitude for each other and their exhibition in various 
•ways of the most tender fraternal affection created an impression 
never to be forgotten. 

The last bargain made was by Black Jim, and one of the chil- 



JOHN KINZIi:'S CAPTIVITY 



1<K") 



(Iron, who hml ]H'nnissi<)ii to rc<kcni a lu-j^ro srrvaul oi liu- ;4..ii ani 
Coloml AlKii. willi an .>M white h«.rsi-. thi- only available arlicle 
that rtinaiiail anu)nj; th«. ir iM)SSt'Ssiotjs. 

A brotlicr ()rCt)l«)iKl Alliii aftrrwanl taim- to l)ilroit. ati.l Ihr 
ncj^ro preferred returnin.u tu servitude rathi r than lemainiui^ a 
strani;er in a strans^e hmd. 

Mr. Kin/.ie, as has been related, joined his fMnily at Detroit in 
the month of Jannary. A short litne after, snspicious arose that he 
was in correspondence with General Harrison, who was now at 
Fort Meii^s. and who was believed to be meditating an advance 
upon Detroit. Lientenanl Watson of the IJritish army waited upon 
Mr. Kin/.ie one day with an invitation to the (piarters of (ieneral 
Proctor on the opposite side of the river, sayinj^ he wished to speak 
with him on business. Quite unsuspicious, he complied with the 
invitation, when to his surprise he was ordered into confinement, 
and strictly guarded in the house of his fornxer i)artncr, Mr. Patter- 
son of Sandwich. Finding he did not return to his home. Mrs. 
Kin/.ie informed some of the Indian chiefs, his ])articnlar friends, 
who immediately repaired to the headquarters of the commanding 
oflicer, demanded their " friend's " release and brought him back 
to his home. After awaiting a time until a favorable opportunity 
presented itself, the General scut a detachment of dragoons t.» 
arrest him. They had succeeded in carrying him away and cross- 
hi<>- the river with him. Just at this moment a party of friendly 
Indians made their appearance. 

"Where is Shaw-uee aw-kee ? " was the first question. 
"There," replied his wife, pointing across the river, • in the 
hands of the red- coats who are taking him away again." 

The Indians ran to the river, seized some canoes that they found 
there, and crossing over to vSandwich compelled Cener.d Proctor a 
second time to forego his intentions. 

A third time this olTicer was more successful, and succeeded m 
arre-ting Mr. Kinzie and conveying him, heavily ironed, to I-ort 
Maiden in Canada, at the mouth of the Detroit river. Here he was 
at first treated with great severity, but after a time the rigor of his 
confinement was somewhat relaxed, and he was permitted lo walk 
on the bank of the river for air and exercise. 

On the loth of September, as he was taking his promenatle under 
the close supervision of a guard of soldiers, the whole partv were 
startled by the sound of guns on Lake Erie at no great distance Ix-- 
low. What could it mean? It must be Commodi^re Barclay firing 
into some of the Yankees. The firing continued. The time allot- 



110 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

ted the prisoner for his daily walk expired, but neither he nor his 
guard observed the lapse of time, so anxiously were they listening 
to what they now felt sure was an engagement between ships of 
war. At length Mr. Kiuzie was reminded that the hour for his 
return to confinement had arrived. He petitioned for another half 
hour. 

" Let me stay," said he, " uutil we can learn how the battle has 
gone." 

Ver}^ soon a sloop appeared under press of sail, rounding the 
point, and, presently, two gun-boats in chase of her. 

"She is running — she bears the British colors," cried he — "yes, 
yes, they are lowering. She is striking her flag! Now," turning 
to the soldiers, " I will go back to prison contented, I know how 
the battle h^s gone." 

The sloop was the Little Belt, the last of the squadron captured 
by the gallant Perry, on that memorable occasion, which he an- 
nounced in the immortal words: "We have met the enemy and 
they are ours ! " 

Matters were growing critical, and it was necessary to transfer 
all prisoners to a place of greater security than the frontier was 
now likely to be. It was resolved therefore to send Mr. Kinzie to 
the mother country. Nothing has ever appeared which would 
explain this course of General Proctor in regard to this gentleman. 
Ke had been taken from the bosom of his family, where he was 
living quietly under the parole which he had received, and was 
protected by the stipulations of the surrender. He was kept for 
months in confinement. Now he was placed on horseback under 
a strong guard, who announced that they had orders to shoot him 
through the head if he offered to speak to a person on the road. 
He was tied upon the saddle in a way to prevent his escape, and 
thus they set out for Quebec. A little incident occurred which 
will help to illustrate the course invariably pursued toward our 
citizens at this period, by the British army on the north-western 
frontier. 

The saddle upon which Mr. Kinzie rode had not been properly 
fastened, and owing to the rough motion of the animal on which it 
was, it turned so as to bring the rider into a most awkward and 
painful position. His limbs being fastened he could not disengage 
himself, and in this manner he was compelled by those who had 
charge of him, to ride until he was nearly exhausted, before they 
had the humanity to release him. 



JnllX KINZIK S CAll 1\ITV. 




It % 



'% 



p 



c 

H 



s 



c 

X 

PI 

H 
C 

> 






K 
G 
Z 



I' 











'V 







1 eE 1*^4' '-^ 



112 



YHT5 CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



Arrived at Quebec, he was put on board a small vessel to be 
sent to England. The vessel when a few days out at sea was 
chased by an American frigate and driven into Halifax. A second 
time she set sail when she sprang a-leak and was compelled to put 
back. 

The attempt to send him across the ocean was now abandoned, 
and he was returned to Quebec. Another step, equally inexplicable 
with his arrest, was now taken. This was his release, and that of 
Mr. Macomb, of Detroit, who was also in confinement at Quebec, 
and ihe permission given them to return to their friends and fam- 
ilies, although the war was not yet ended. It may possibly be 
imagined that in the treatment these gentlemen received, the 
British commander sheltered himself under the plea of their being 
"native born British subjects," and perhaps when it was ascer- 
tained that Mr. Kiuzie was indeed a citizen of the United vStates, it 
was thought safest to release him. 

In the meantime General Harrison at the head ot his troops had 
reached Detroit. He landed on the 29tli of September. All the 
citizens went forth to meet him—Mrs. Kiuzie leading her children 
by the hand, was of the number. The General accompanied her 
to her home and took up his abode there. On his arrival he was 
introduced to Kee-po-tah, who happened to be on a visit to the 
family at that time. The General had seen the chief the preced- 
ing year, at the council at Vincennes, and the meeting was one of 
great cordiality and interest. 

Additional partictilars about the interesting career of 
this remarkable man are given further on. (See Appen- 
dix-D.) 




(11 \pti:k \ii 



CONTrMroRANT.ors Ki:i'<)RT< 




AKDIA' any one insli 
liilinn existing foil r 
score years agcj, sliows 
so wondrous a change 
"~^ as (iocs the American 
ncwsjKiiHT. The steamboat, rail 
road, telegraph, telephone, power- 
j^ress and other mechanical aids 
to the spreading of news have all 
been invented and perfected with- 
^ in that time, wliile gas and elec- 
tric light have aided in the prompt 
reproduction of intelligence, and 
penny-postage in its dissemina- 
tion. So that wliich was then an 
infant — say rather an embryo — is 
-^ now a giant. 

The very first published narra- 
rv-L^^^ tive of the massacre which is now 
MASSACRE THii: I'^th sTREF.T ut liaud is tlic followiug accouut. 
very short and full of errors, taken from the HutTalo (»a- 
zette rdate not given) and publi-hed in Niles' Weekly 
Register «»f Oclober v is'i^."-- 

Fall of Fori Dearborn, ut C/rm/^a— Ycslcnlay afternoon the 
Oiiccn Charlotlf arrived at Tort Krie, seven days from Detroit. A 
fl i;.,' of truce soon lan<K'il. at lUilTalo Creek. Major .Vtwater and 
Lieut. J. L. Eastman, who gave the following account of the fall of 



•This paper, pulili>ihc»l in n.iUimorc, wa« the bcit Kcueral chronicle of 
events rcjKirtr I »»v corrcsijondcnts or appearing in the few and meager outlying 

journals of Ihe ilav. 

113 



114 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

Fort Dearborn: On the first of September a Pottowatomie chief 
arrived at Detroit and stated that about the middle of August Cap- 
tain Wells, from Fort Wayne [an interpreter], arrived at Fort 
Dearborn to advise the commandant of that fort to evacuate it and 
retreat. In the mean time a large bo ly of Indians of different na- 
tions had collected and menaced the garrison. A council was held 
with the Indians, in which it was agreed that the party in the gar- 
rison should be spared on condition that all property in the fort 
should be given up. The Americans marched out but were fired 
upon and nearly all killed. There were about fifty men in the fort 
beside women and children, and probably not more than ten or 
twelve taken prisoners. Captain Wells and Heald [the command- 
ant] were killed. 

This brief report interests its in various wa3^s. Detroit 
was in the British hands, and the Queen Charlotte a Brit- 
ish ship, for Perry's victory had not yet been won. Major 
Atwater and Lieut. Eastman, here Hberated by the Brit- 
ish under flag of truce, were probably part of the army 
surrendered by General Hull on August i6, and paroled; 
these officers having remained in Detroit for some unex- 
plained reason — perhaps because they were citizens of 
that city, as Atwater is an old Detroit name. (It has 
been given to a street there.) The Queen Charlotte was 
one of the ships captured by Perry on Sept. lo, 1813, and 
was sunk in Put-in Bay, and twenty years later she was 
raised, repaired and put again in commission, this time 
as a trading-vessel, and it was on her that John Dean 
Caton, later Chief Justice of Illinois, and now (1893) ^^^ 
honored resident of Chicago, took passage at Buffalo with 
his bride, in 1834, and came to the land which was to be 
their home for sixty years.* 

Regarding the rest of the fugitives we have very scanty 
reports. The next item we find is an utterly wild, false 
and fanciful statement of Mrs. Helm's vicissitudes, con- 
tradicting in every particular her own narrative, as given 
in Wan -Bun, 



*Mrs. Caton died in 1892. 



CONTDMPoKANKors RICPOKTS. 1 1 Ti 

[From Niks Uirkly Kc>;islcr, Salunlay. April 13, 1813.] 

S.ivjgt' /iiirbittitv. Mrs. Ihlni. llu- wife of I.uiittii.mt llilm. 
wliui«scaiK<l from Ihc buli hcry of Cliicanj^a by the aMsistatuc of u 
humane Imh an, has arrivc«l at this plait- [lUiffahH-]. The account 
of her snneriiiv^sdurin.i^ three moiilhs* slavery amoiij^ the Indian* 
and three months' imprisoiunent amonj; their allies, would niaken 
most intereslinj; volume. One eircumsianre alone will I nienti.m. 
During live days after she was taken prisoner she had not the least 
sustenance, and was compelled to draj.,' a canoe (harefo<ited and 
wading' alou;.,' the stream" in whiili there were some squaws, and 
when she demanded f.xMl. sonu- IK >h of lu r murdered countrvnieti 
and a piece of tol. Wells' heart wa^ olTered her. 

vShe knows the fact that C.)l. Proctor, the IJritish commander at 
Maiden, bouuhl llu- scalps of our murdered j^arrison of Chicauga, 
au.l thanks to her noble spirit, she boldly charj^ed him with his 
infamy in his own house. 

vShc knows further, fron; the triU- with whom she was a pris- 
oner, and who were the j)erpetralors of tln»se munlers. that they 
intended to remain true, but that they received onlers from the 
British to cut otT our j^arrison, whom thev were to escort. 

Oh, spirits of the murdered Americans ! can ye n«>t rouse your 
countrymen, your friends, your relations, to take ample venj^eance 
on those worse than savage bloodlKJunds? 

An Offickr. 

March iSih. 1S13. 

Tliis is manifestly written to "fire tlic patriotic heart" 
of the country to rally to the defence of "Huffaloe," a 
frontier t<nvn in deadly fear of its Canadian neii^hhors. in 
sight beyond the Niagara River. Mrs. Helm herself nitist 
have learned willi surprise that while she, with the rest 
of the Kin/.ie family, was liospital)ly entertained at "Parc- 
anx vaches," on the St. Joseph, she was snfTering "three 
months' slavery among the Indians;" and later, while 
li\ini; in Detnjit, she was enduring "three months' im- 
prisonment among their allies," the luiglish. Also that 
during the five days after the massacre, when she tells us 
she was, witli much discomfort and more alarm, living in 
the Kin/.ie mansion with her relatives, she was really • 
dragging a canoe, barefooted, wading along the stream, 



116 TH^ CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

deprived of all sustenance except the flesh of her mur- 
dered countrymen, especially poor Wells's carved-upand 
bleeding heart — which, by the way, she had only heard 
of ; never seen ! Such things serve very well to prove to 
us that, as creators of imaginative fiction, newspaper 
correspondents of those days were equal even to those of 

our own. 

More absurd, if possible, is a letter printed in Niles' 
Register of May 8, 1813, purporting to have been written 
by one Walter Jordan, a non-commissioned officer of reg- 
ulars, stationed at Fort Wayne, to his wife, in Alleghany 
County, dated Fort Wayne, October 19, 1812. In the 
first place, it is most unlikely that any such white man 
should have been in Captain Wells's company and re- 
mained unmentioned. We hear of nobody as arriving but 
Captain Wells and his thirty Miami Indians. In our day, 
it is true, a captain would be likely to be accompanied by 
an orderly; but Wells had been brought up in too stern a 
school to be provided with such an attendant. Then, too, 
the narrative bristles with absurdities. The story is as 

follows : 

I take my pen to inform you that I am well, after a long and 
perilous journey through the Indian country. Capt. Wells, myself, 
and an hundred friendly Indians, left Fort Wayne on the ist of 
August to escort Captain Heald from Fort Chicauga, as he was in 
danger of being captured by the British. Orders had been given to 
abandon the fort and retreat to Fort Waiyne, adislance of 150 miles. 
We reached Chicauga on the loth of August, and on the 15th pre- 
pared for an immediate march, burning all that we could not fetch 
with us. Oh the 15th at 8 o'clock we commenced our march with 
our small force, which consisted of Captain Wells, myself, one hun- 
dred Confute Indians, Captain Heald's one hundred men, ten 
women, twenty children— in all 232. We had marched half a mile 
when we were attacked by 600 Kickapoo and Wynbago Indians. 
In the moment of trial our Confute savages joined the savage 
enemy. Our contest lasted fifteen minutes, when every man, 
woman and child was killed except fifteen. Thanks be to God, I 
was one of those who escaped. First they shot the feather off my 



CONTKMPOKANHOUS RI-l'OKTS. 117 

cap, next tlu' ij)aukt off iijy shoiiUlcr, ami llicii the haiullc from 
my sword; I llirn surrc-inleit.Ml t«) four savaj.";!- rascals. Tlu- (Joijfiili- 
chief, lakinj^ im- hy tlie hand and speakiii;^ ICuj^lish, sawl: "Jor- 
dan, 1 know yon. Vou j^ave me tobacio at l-'orl Wayne. We 
won't kill yon, hnl come an«l see what we will <lo t«i yonr captain." 
So, kailinv; me to where Wells lay, they cnt olf his hea«l and pnt it 
on a lonj^ pole, while mother took out his heart and divi<led it np 
amonj^ the chiefs and ate it nj) raw. Then thev scal|)ed the slain 
and stripped the prisoners, and j^athered in a rin^ with us fifteen 
])oor wretches in the middle. They had nearly fallen out aljout the 
divide, but my old chief, tlu- White Racoon, hoMinj.; me fast, they 
made the divide and dej>arted to their towns. They tieil me hard 
and fast that nij^ht, and placed a j^uard over me. I lay down anci 
slept soundly until nu)riiinj.^. for I was tired. In the morninj^ they 
untied me and set me parchinj; corn, at which I worked attentively 
until niijht. They said that if I would stay, and not run away, they 
would make a chief of me; hut if I would attempt to ruti away thi-y 
would catch me and burn me alive. I answered (hem with a fine 
storv iu order to j^ain their confidence, and linally made my escape 
from them on the lyth of Auj^ust, and took one of the iK'St horses 
to carry me, being seven days in the wilderness. I was joyfully 
received at Wayne on the 26th. On the 2.Sth day they attacked the 
fort and blockaded us until the 16th of Septeml>er, when we were 
relieved by General Harrison. 

One is uncertain whether to rate this as a yarn made 
by some penny-a-liner out of such scraps as nnj;ht be 
picked up from common rumor and the tales of returned 
stragorlers of the thirty Indians who ran away when the 
attack began, or the lying story of a fellow who was 
reallv of the party, and one of the leaders, not in the 
fight, but in llie flight. His enumeration of "one hun- 
dred Confute Indians, "(no tribe of that name being known 
to history) in place of the band of thirty Miamis, his 
estimate of Captain Ileald's "one hinidred men, ten 
women and twenty children,'' his march of "half a mile," 
his statement that all were killed except fifteen, which 
would make the loss of life over two hundred, in place of 
Captain Heald's estimate of fifty-two. all tend to force the 
conclusion that there was no Walter Jordan in the mat- 



118 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF i8l2. 

ter. The latter part of the story, representing himself as 
heroically losing feather, epaulet and sword-hilt to the 
rascally savages, who still refrained from inflicting bod- 
ily injury on him, his then being kindly but firmly led to 
the place where poor Wells, in the presence of his niece, 
was w^aiting to have his head cut off and set up on a pole, 
and his heart cut out and divided among the chiefs, etc., 
tends to the belief that Walter Jordan was present, 
ran away, saved himself, reached Fort Wayne and de- 
vised this cock-and-bull story to explain his long absence, 
his personal safety and his possession of a horse which 
did not belong to him. Another hypothesis is that he 
started from Fort Wayne with Wells, deserted on the 
road, hung around until he got the story as told by the 
Indian fugitives, and (finding that his captain was dead) 
put a bold face on the matter and came in, bringing a 
horse he had been lucky enough to * 'capture" when its 
owner was not looking. 

The next item is dated more than a year later; a year 
during which the wretched captives seem to have suf- 
fered miseries indescribable. The story bears the stamp 
of truth so far as the escaped fugitives knew it: 

[From Niles' Weekly Register, 4tli June, 1814] 
Chicago.— Amowg the persons who have recently arrived at 
this place, says the Plattsburg [N. Y.] paper of the 21st ult- 
imo, from Quebec, are: James Van Horn, Dyson Dyer, Joseph 
Kuovv^les, Joseph Bowen, Paul Grummond, Nathan Kdson, Elias 
Mills, James Corbin, Phelim Corbin, of the First Regiment of 
U. S. Infantry, who survived the massacre at Fort Dearborn, or 
Chicago, on the 15th August, 18 12. It will be recollected that the 
commandant at Fort Chicago, Captain Heald, was ordered by Gen- 
eral Hull to evacuate the fort and proceed with his command to 
Detroit; that having proceeded about a mile and a half, the troops 
were attacked by a body of Indians, to whom they were compelled 
to capitulate. 

Captain Heald, in his report of this affair, dated October 23d, 
1812, says: "Our strength was fifty-four regulars and twelve mili- 



CONTIC.MI'ORANKOUS KKPORTS. \\U 

tia. out of which twinl\ six rc^^ulars atul all the militia, \mIIj two 
woniLii and twelve chililri'M, wort- kilKd in the action. 

"Lieut. Liuai T. Helm, w'th twenty five iioti-coinmissioncd oin 
cers atul i)rivates, and eleven women and cinldren, were prisoners 
when we sei)arated." Lieut. Helm was ransomed. Of the twenty- 
five non-commissioned otVjcers and privates, an<l the eleven women 
and children, the nine persons al)ove m<ntioned arc l>ciicved to Ik* 
the only survivors. They state that the jjrisoiiers who were not put 
to d;ath on the march were taken to the I'ox River, in the Indian 
territory, wlurc they were distributed anionj.; the Indians as serv- 
ants. Those who survived remaineil in this situation al»out nine 
months, during; which tinu- they were allowed scarcely a sufficiency 
of sustenance to suppt)rt nature, and were then l)rouj.;ht to I"<»rt 
Chica.^o, wliere they were purcha.sed by a Freiulj trader, aj;reeab1e 
to the (hrections ofCk-neral Troctor, and sent to .Andurstbur^. atul 
from thence to (Juebec, where they arrived November .Stli, 1.S15. 

John Neads, who was one of the prisoners, formerlv of Virjjinia, 
died anionj^ the Indians between the i.slh and 2nth of January. 1.S13 

Hugh Logan, an Irisliman, was tomahawked and put to <lealh, 
be not being able to walk from excessive fatigue. 

August ISIott, a German, was killed in the same manner for the 
like reasiMi. 

A man by the name of Nelson was frozen to death while a cap- 
tive with the Indians. He was formerly from .Maryland. 

A child of Mrs. Neads, the wife of John Neads, was tieil to a tree 
to prevent its following and crying after its mother for victuals. 
Mrs. Neads perished from hunger and cold. 

The officers who were killed on the 15th of .August had their 
heads cut off and their hearts taken out and boiled in the presence 
of the prisoners. ICIeven children were massacred and scalped in 
one wagon. 

Mrs. Corbin, wife of rhelim Corl)iu, in an advanced stav;i <'i 
pregnancy, was tomahawketl, scalpetl. cut o])en, and had the child 
taken out and its head cjt off. 

Tiiniiiig to tile latest imi.sterroll of the force, dated 
1 8 10, we identify among; these .stirvivurs the names of 
Dyson Dyer, Nathan Edst)n, Paul Grummow. James \*an 
Home, James Corbin and Plielini Corbin. .\mong the 
perished, August Mott. John Xeads and Iltigh Logan. 
To this sad list must be added four still more pitiable vie- 



120 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



tims — the wife and unborn child of Phelim Corbin, and 
the unhappy Mrs. Neads, to whom death must have been 
welcome after seeing her little one " tied to a tree to keep 
it from following her and crying for victuals." 

Mrs. John Kinzie, in a sketch of the life of her hus- 
band (Chic. Hist. Society, July ii, 1877. Fergus' Hist. 
Series No. 10) says: 

In 1816 the Kinzie family returned to their desolated home in 
Chicago. The bones of the murdered soldiers, who had fallen four 
years bef3re, were still lying unburied where they had fallen. The 




THE SECOND BLOCK HOUSE IN ITS LAST DAYS. 

troops who rebuilt the fort collected and interred these remains. 
The coffins which contained them were deposited near the bank of 
the river, which then had its outlet about at the foot of Madison 
Street. The cutting through the sand-bar for the harbor caused the 
lake to encroach and wash away the earth, exposing the long range 
of coffins and their contents, which were afterward cared for and 
reinterred by the civil authorities. 

There is good reason to believe that Mrs. Kinzie was 
mistaken in thinking that the coffins exposed on the lake 



CONTI'.MIMtKANliorS Ki:iM)KTS. 1.' 1 

shore by llie action ofllir waves, rontaiiicd llio Ixxlies of 
those wlio perished in iIk- massacre. The lort l)uryin;j- 
groiiiul certainly was al tlic i)hice inchcaled. and the ex- 
posed colVms doubtless contained the- hodits ol those 
huiiccl in that ground; hut that does not indndi- tjje mas- 
sacre \ictinis. Mr. I'Vinando Jones iK-litves lliem to liavc 
been i)nriL'd at where- Seventeenth Street, extended, 
wouUl cross Prairie Axenue. 

A letler on tlie matter (kindl\- fnrnislicd me while lliese 
pages are in preparation) reads as follows: 

I'pon my arrival in Chicago, in the spring of 1H35, luinj^ fifteen 
years of age, I became actpiainted with a nnmhtr of Imlian and 
half-breed boys, as well as older persons, and visited many times 
the location of the Indian massacre of 1S12. The sjKjt was pointed 
ont by some who were children at the time, an<l by others who had 
been informed by their parents. The bnrial place where the victims 
were interred was (piite distinct at that time. There was a monnd 
in the prairie southwest of the massacre j^ronnd, that was pointed 
out as the grave of the vidette, or soldier in advance of the retreat- 
ing garrison. 

The tradition was that the soldier ran west into the prairie, 
thinking to hide in the tall grass, Inil was pursued and killed and 
scalped and his body afterward buried by friendly half t)ree<ls. 

Ill the summer of 1S36 a nund)er of youngsters, accompanied l>y 
some young Indians and half-breeds, proceeded to examine the 
lonely hillock in the plains. TIk- turf still preserved the shape of 
a grave. There were in the party as I remendier, besides in)self, 
Pierre Laframbois, Alex Heaubicn, Charles Cleaver. J. I.ouis 
Hooker and John C. Haines. After digging about three feel into 
the ground we unearthed a skeleton surrounded by bits of W(M>len 
cloth, pieces of leather, brass military buttons and buckles and a 
brass plate with V. S. upon it. We became convincul that this was 
inidetiiably the grave of the traditional vidette, and reverently re- 
turned the remains into the grave where they had lain for a (juarler 
of a century, and where I sup])ose they still remain The sj>ot was 
about a block south of the Calumet Club-House. near the S. K. cor- 
ner of Indiana Ave. and Twenty first Street. I kept watch of the 
place until streets were laid ont and the jiroperty improved, having 
resided near it for over twenty-five years 

Fernando Jonics. 



122 THE CHICAGO MASSA JRE OF l8l2. 

No remainsof any coffin werefonnd, a fact which 
wonld indicate a battle-field burial; but on the other 
hand, it seems most improbable that the Indians would 
have left belt-plate, buttons and cloth on any of their 
victims. 



The Indian Problem is solved at last, and by the In- 
dians' own and only means for the solution of problems — 
the cutting of the knot. It has been a long struggle, 
marked by wrong on both sides and by shame on ours — 
theirs was not capable of shame. They had many friends 
and only one formidable enemy — themselves. 

The Americans met them with the sword in one hand 
and the olive branch in the other. They declined the 
branch and defied the sword. The English offered them 
gifts in both hands, and they took all that w^as offered, 
rendering in exchange services disgraceful to the more 
civilized party to the contract. The French offered them 
love, and won theirs in return. While other whites held 
aloof, the gay Frenchman fraternized with them, became 
one with them, shared their lives and their pursuits, won 
their religious allegiance — nay, more; in a gentler and 
more irresistible wa}' prevailed over them, for he formed 
with their women alliances which furnished the inferior 
race a hybrid, partly like themselves, but superior, and 
able and willing to be their leaders against the more 
grasping, less loving Americans. These hybrids have, 
in many cases, continued the race on its enlightened side, 
and there are not wanting among ourselves splendid 
specimens of manhood and womanhood, whose fine fig- 
ures, flashing eyes, and strong, grave faces, proclaim the 
proud possession of theblocd of the only really "first cit- 
izens" of our democratic republic. 

It is now hard to trace the Indians who departed hence 
in 1835, fifty-eight years ago. They are almost "lost 



CONTl-MI'oK.Wl-.orS Ki:i>(>KT.S TjlJ 

tribes." The report for 1S90 (,f il.c Cmiinissioiiers of 
Indian Affairs. <;ives Pottowaloniies of various descrip- 
tions scattered 111 iii;m\ places. This .same is true of thr 
Ottawas and Chippcwas. 

The hirj^er part of tlie Tettowalonnes ( known of old as 
the "Woods ]]and." in contradistinction to the "Prairie 
liAud '•) have renounced tribal relations and are knownas 
the "Citizen JJand." They number scarcely two thou- 
sand souls, and occupy a tract nearly thirty miles scpiare 
(375,000 acres) in Oklahoma 

The Connnissioners' report says but little about them, 
givincr more attention to the "Prairie liand," since they 
are still a tribe, and thus, "wards of the nation. " They 
number only 43J, and hold in common 77.357 ^'K-^res in 
Kansas, where they are doin^^ fairly, but are pestered with 
thedregsof the "Citizen Band," who fall back on the 
tribe like the returned prodigal— but unrej)entant, and 
still fit company only for the husk-eating swine. 
Of the "Citizen Band," Special Agent Porter says: 
"The Pottowatomies are citizens of the United States, 
thoroughly tinctured with white blood. Nearly all of 
them .speak English and read and write. vSome of them 
are quite wealthy, being good farmers, with larL-e herds 
of stock. Their morals are below the .standard, consider- 
ing their advanced state as a civilized people." 

This is not high praise; still, it gives hope for better 
things. Peace and industry coming first, civilization 
and morality will follow. The savage Indian is e.s.seii- 
tially a being of the past (notwitlhstanding llie survival 
ofa few wild Apaches, a few "ghost-dancers" amon^ 
the Sioux, and some other exceptional bodies) and he is 
succeeded by the truly civilized Indian (of whom the 
Cherokees are a .splendid example), a self-respecting, 
self governing, self-educating, pro.sperous human being ; 
not particularly different from the frontiersman, except 



124 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

by a slight and diminishing shade of color and by the 
possession of the best characteristics of his savage ances- 
tors. It may perhaps be said that no race of men has 
ever made as much progress in five generations as have 
the " civilized Indians." It is only one hundred and 
sixty years since d'Artaguiette, Vinsenne, the Jesuit 
Senat, and young St. Ange, son of the French comman- 
dant in the Illinois country (Fort Chartres), were defeated 
in the Arkansas country and were burned at the stake by 
the unconquered Chickasaws , who were " amazed to see 
the fortitude with which white men could die." And 
now, in the territory adjoining Arkansas on the west, the 
decendants of the torturers are cultivating farms, main- 
taining governments, courts, schools and churches, and 
in short, setting an example worthy to be followed by 
many who hav^e been "civilized" from the time ages 
back of the year 1492; when the innocent, luckless Hay- 
tians learned of the existence of the unspeakable Span- 
iards, in cruelty the only rivals of the North American 
aborigines. 

What is the reason for the intense interest and curiosity 
which clusters about this story of violence and rapine, of 
heroism, anguish and death ? Other massacres have 
blotted with blood the pages of American history. From 
Deerfield and Schenectady to the Little Bighorn, our de- 
voted bands have perished at the hands of the American 
Indian; and each dark day is suffered to rest as a mere tra- 
dition, buried in the half- forgotten folk-lore of its time and 
place. Why does the Fort Dearborn massacre, involving 
only a few score souls, hold a different rank in our hearts ? 

It is because the footsteps of millions are passing over 
the spot where it all happened ; steamers are churning 
its peaceful waters ; bells and steam-whistles are rending 
the air that bore away the sound of gun-shots, war- 



C( )\'l" !•; M 1 '< )K A N !-:( )ITS k 1 . !■< »K 'I'*;. 



i*^:i 




I 






Jl 



^ 

^ 



'CRT DEAneCF.W WHICH EXTENDED AL'TTl^V 

" ■" ■ • " ASHDSOMEWhA"^ WTO TH£ 

Br' ORDER OP GEH nl . IT V«ftS tV/LUHED AUG 

li.ieic ArreRiTi -tpres ixo provijions 

HA") ^'.VA C'fSTRtfiUTvr AWO^C TriE INOiAHS 
VEHV SOOK AFTER THE ;?^',AfJ£ AT7ACKE0 AND 
'•■<.' ?*:Rn} A8-:UT FIFTY OF THE lf/J0¥5 A^iO 

A .r^y;?ER 3r :itiz£n5 inclvDinc woy^N ano 

CHiLPREN *HDNJ:.VT C^Y BUfWEP THE FOfvT. 
IN J8ie»lT WA> RfhUlir.t^UT AFTER THf BUCK- 
hWi;^ "wAR »T WHT INTO (GRADUAL nSoSt hHD 

>«*>0;:uPiEC B'l u;\!OUi COvtKMC.tNT OFMCERS 
TIL'. I«67 *!-•:, !T Yt^3 TCRN CCi.N FVCEPTIKC '. 
SIN'CU Bim.DlUC.V\n|Cn iT^UO L'FCN TnlS SJTfc 

^'.Li THf civfAT rmr of o^^t. 'j,t67r 

. kT TKE SlCGESTlON CF THE C'I'.CAC: HilTCRlC*V. 
SI OF. iY This TABU- VkS ERECTED By 

^i'V leeo w.M.HOYT. 




r 





ULOCK HOUSE TABLET. 



126 THK CHICA.GO massacre: of i8i2. 

whoops and dying cries; and the sculptors' art is putting in- 
to immortal bronze the memory of its incidents. Thus does 
it gain an ex post facto importance and a posthumous fame. 

Among the world's great cities, Chicago should be the 
one most thoroughl}' recorded. No other that counts her 
denizens by the million has among them those born before 
her annals fairh' began. No other has had such startling 
vicissitudes. Laid low by slaughter in her infanc}' and 
by fire in her youth, she has climbed with bounding steps, 
upward and onward. Toiling, enduring, laughing, pros- 
pering, exulting ; she has taken each scourge as a fillip 
to her energy, each spur as a stimulus to her courage. 
Hers is the enthusiasm of youth with the strength of 
maturity. 

The earl}' da3\s of Paris and London are lost in half- 
m^'thical shadow. Even if told, their incidents might 
fail to match in interest those which have befallen their 
young sister. So much the more zealously should we 
who love this youthful aspirant for fame, take care that 
the romance of her childhood shall be preserved and 
handed down to posterity. 

The spirited figure of La Salle (given by Lambert Tree) 
and Martin Ryerson's Indian group, are both fine mem- 
orials of the dawn of things in the North- West. Kli 
Bates's matchless statue of Lincoln is devoted to a page 
in the history of the whole Union. Now comes Chicago's 
latest treasure, the magnificent group commemorating 
the massacre of 1812 ; a purely civic work, to keep in the 
minds of Chicago's citizens, for untold generations, the 
romance and reality of her struggling infancy. 

Honor to the men who, in the intense pressure of the 
present, still have thoughts for the past and the future. 



At the unveiling, (1881) of the Block-House Tablet 
(designed by the Chicago Historical Society) set by Will- 



CONTKMI'okANKorS kHI'oRTS. 



rj7 



iaiii M. Iloyt in llic iiorlli wall of his warehouse, facing 
Rusli vSlrcct IWkl^ii iVoin the south, Mi. Kugciic Hall 
read some stanzas of oriKinal verse so musical, so poetic 
and so apt for the occasion, that I venture Twilh liis per- 
mission) to repeat them here, as a finish to our story. 



HKALUIKN FIDIil.i; AND CAI.IMKT, 

IN I'OSSESSION OF Tin; CALUMET CLUB. 




FORT DEARBORN, 

CHICAGO, 

1^61. 



Here, where the savage war-whoop once resoutuleil, 
Where council fires 1)urncd brightly vears ago, 
Where the red Indian from liis covert bounded 
To scalp his pale-faced foe : 



128 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OP l8l2. 

Here, where grey badgers had their haunts and burrows, 
Where wild wolves howled and prowled in midnight bands, 
Where frontier farmers turned the virgin furrows, 
Our splendid city stands. 

Here, where brave men and helpless women perished, 
Here, where in unknown graves their forms decay ; 
This marble, that their memory may be cherished, 
We consecrate today. 

No more the farm-boy's call, or lowing cattle. 
Frighten the timid wild fowl from the slough : 
The noisy trucks and wagons roll and rattle 
O'er miles of pavement now. 

Now are our senses startled and confounded, 
By screaming whistle and by clanging bell. 
Where Beaubien's merry fiddle once resounded 
When summer twilight fell. 

Here stood the fort with palisades about it. 
With low log block-house in those early hours ; 
The prairie fair extended far without it, 
Blooming with fragrant flowers. 

About this spot the buildings quickly clustered ; 
The logs decayed, the palisade went down. 
Here the resistless Western spirit mustered 
And built this wondrous town. 

Here from the trackless plain its structures started. 
And one by one, in splendor rose to view. 
The white ships went and came, the years departed. 
And still she grandly grew\ 

Till one wild night, a night each man remembers. 
When round her homes the red fire leaped and curled. 
The sky was filled with flame and flying embers. 
That swept them from the world. 

Men said : " Chicago's bright career is ended ! " 
As by the smouldering stones they chanced to go, 
While the wide world its love and pity blended, 
To help us in our woe. 



i 



i 



CON'Tl-MI'oKANiCoUS KKl'OKTS. 



\'.!U 



() wlicrc was t vcr liiiiiiau )^()(Mlness j^rt'iilcr .'' 
Man's lovi- lor man was nrvtr iiidrt- sublime. 
Oil tlu- ttrnial stTolI <>f our Cri-ator 
'Tis writtcti for all linif. 

Chicaj^o livts, an«l many a lofty sUcple 
Looks «lown today upon this western plain ; 
TIk- tireless hands (tf her uneoncjiiered people 
H.ive reared her walls a^ain. 

LoH}^ may she live and grow in wealth and beauty, 
And may her children be, in cominj^ years, 
True to their trust and faithful in their duty 
As her brave pioneers. 



.y 




lit ^/ . 



APPENDIX. 

A— John Baptisth Pointk dk Saiui^k. 

B— Fort DtAKuoKN ix tuk War Dhpartmi.nt 

C— Tin-; WniTTiKK I'amilv. 

D— Thk Kix/.ii: Family. 

E— The \Viai.s and Hi-ai^d Families. 

F— The Bones of John Lalime. 

G— I,ETTERS FROM A. II. EdwaRDS. 

H— BiLi.v Caldwell, "The Sauganash." 

I— Indian War Dance. 

K— The Bronze Mi:morial Grolp. 



131 



APPI-NDIX A 



JKAN UATTISTI-: rolNTK DlC SA I HIJ-:, Till. HASIIAN >!■.»<<' \mi' > 
WAS TUM IMKST "WHITI-; MAN" TO SKTTM-: fv CHICAGO 



(i77<^-77)- 




% 



OT IX JUST. l)iit Ml 
grave, suhcr earnest, 
the Indians used to say 
tliat " tlie first white 
man in Chicaj^o was a 
1 In iheir view, 

all non ■ Ijidians were 
"whites," the adject- 
ive having to them only 
COCKCROW. a racial sij^nificance. 

Then, too the al)oriKines liad no jests — no harmless ones. 
Peeriii^^ into the dim past for early items concernini; 
what is now Chicai^o. on-j comes first to the compara- 
tively clear (though positively scanty) records of tlu- 
French— La Salle, Marquette, Tonti, Hennepin. St. Cosme 
and their bold a.ssociates~who came in by way of the St. 
Lawrence in the seventeenth century— 1672 to 1700. 

From that time there occurs a great blank. Scarcely 
a ray of light or word of intelligence pierces the deep 
gloom for just one hundred years. Detroit. Mackinaw. 
Lake Superior, Green liay. Fort Ducpiesne and St. Louis 
are kept in view. Kven Kaskasia and Fort Chartres. both 
in Illinois territory, are on record: a circumstance due to 
the fact, not generally known, that they were points of 
importance in John Law's fam«)us Mississippi scheme. 
Hut Chicago was almost as though it had .sunk below the 
waves of Lake Michigan when La Salle. Marquette and 
St. Cosme bade it gotxi-byc. 

133 



134 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



Suddenly, in 1778, in the midst of the Revolutionary 
War, the name reappears in literature in a curious way. 
It comes to us through a poetical allusion from the pen of 
Colonel Arent Schuyler 
de Peyster, command- 
ant at Michilimackinac. 
De Peyster, as his name 
suggests, was a New 
Yorker of the ancient 
Dutch stock. He en- 
tered the English army 
and in 1757 was com- 
missioned lieutenant in 
the Eighth, or King's 
Regiment of Foot. Nec- 
essarily he was and con- 
tinued to be a royalist, 
and when war broke 
out served King George 
against Gen. George. 

Fortunately for our 
knowledge of the West 
during Revolutionar}^ 
times. Colonel de Peyster was a scholar and a gentleman 
as well a soldier and a Tory He left a volume of "Mis- 
cellanies," which was first published (18 13) in Dumfries, 
Scotland, whither the old soldier retired when the bad 
cause for which he made a good fight came to a dis- 
astrous end by the peace of Paris in 1783.^^ An edition, 
edited by General J. Watts de Peyster, of Yonkers, was 
published in 1888. 




ROBERT CAVELIER. SIEUR DE LA SALLE. 



*After his return to Scotland, Colonel de Pej'ster commanded the "fen- 
cibles" (militia), of which Robert Burns was a member, and it was in his honor 
that the poet wrote his poem, " To Colonel de Peyster," begiuning: 

''M3^ honored Colonel, deep I feel 
Your interest in the poets' we''!." 

nd ending, after several stanzas: 

''But lest you think I am uncivil 
To plague you with this drauntiug drivel, 
Abjuring a intentions evil, 

I quat my pen- 
The Lord preserve us frae the devil, 
Amen ! Amen !" 



ATMMvr.TV \; l)i; SAlllI.K 



l.X") 



Colonel dc iVvslcr's post ot loyal service was Macki- 
naw, wliilhcr, as ihc ■Miscellanies" tell ns, he was sent 
early in 1774. "to command ihe post, with the painful 
task of superintending the lake Indians." "Can«x-s ar- 
rived with passes si>^ned hy the American (icneral Woos- 
ter, and Dr. Henjainin iM.inklin, wherein it was stipula- 
ted that those traders should not afl*<»rd any succor wliat- 
ever to the British garrison. " 

He ailds tliat "in the spring; tnlluwinv; they (the In- 
dians] were sent down lo assist (ieiieral Murj;«)ine in his 
expedilion across Lake Champlaine" — an entry which 

recalls the fate of 
])<M)rJane MrCrea. 
whose death at the 
hands of the Indi- 
ans, near Saratoga, 
used to draw tears 
from tjur childish 
eyes in the >;(xxi old 
times before patri- 
otism was no more. 
In that exi>edi- 
tion they seem to 
have done no valu- 
able service to King 
George ^except the 
killing of Miss Mc- 
Crea), and on their 
return they were 
assembled at Mack- 
inaw f<^r the fmr- 
pose of making a 
diversion in favor of the luiglish General Hamilton, 
whom George Rogers Clark, our paragon of Western 
soldiers, had defeated already (though de Peysterdid not 
know it) and sent across the Alleghanies. a prisoner, to 
Patrick Henry. Governor of Virginia. 

Now comes in the mention of Chicago. I)e Peyster 
made a speech to the assembled redskins, which si>eech 
he next day turned into rude rhyme at the request of a 
fair lady whom he calls, in gallant French phrase. 




From "Cyclop»di« of I'niieH Slalm lli««nrv."— Coprrnrbl, 
IIMI by Hkrper A Hr<>tb«ni. 

GEOROR KOOKRS CI. ARK fLATT. IN I.U-K). 



136 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

"une chere compagne de voyage." The poem is included 
in the " Miscellanies. '"i' 

The entire versified speech is too long to quote, inter- 
esting though it be as an unstudied sketch of things of 
that time and place. Any one wishing to know more of 
it can find it in the "Miscellanies," of which a copy 
should be easily found in any large library. 

vSPEECH TO THE WESTERN INDIANS. 

Great chiefs, convened at my desire 

To kindle up this couucil-fire, 

Which, with ascending smoke shall burn, 

Till you from war once more return 

To lay the axe in earth so deep } 

That nothing shall disturb its sleep. 

I know you have been told by Clark 
His riflemen ne'er miss the niark; 
In vain you hide behind a tree 
If they your finger-tip can see. 
The instant they have got their aim 
Enrolls you on the list'of lame. 

But then, my sons, this boaster's rifles, 
To those I have in store are trifles: 
If you but make the tree your mark 
The ball will twirl beneath the bark, 
Till it one-half the circle find, 
Then out and kill the man behind. 

Clark says, with Louis in alliance 
He sets your father at defiance; 
That he, too, hopes, ere long, to gain 
Assistance from the King of Spain. 

vSuppose, awhile, his threats prove true. 
My children, what becomes of you ? 
Your sons, your daughters and Vour wives. 
Must they be hacked by their big knives ? 
Clark, soon repulsed, will ne'er return. 
While your war-fire thus clear doth burn. 



*The lady was his wife. The marriage was childless, and General J Watts 
de Peyster (1892) says in a private note: " She was cAe/v? indeed to de P"s lineal 
heirs, for her cajolery of the Colonel transferred his property from his nephew 
protege and namesake, Captain Arent Schuvler de Pevsler, to her own people' 
McMurdo's, or whatever was the name of her nephews." General de Peyster 
says that he himself got the story from Captain Arent Schuyler de Pevster the 
namesake in question, and the discoverer of the " De Peyster Islands," in the 



Pacific Ocean. 



AIMM-NDIX A: 1)1-: SAIHI.K. I'H 

At Fort vSl. J()si.'])h ami llic I'ost, 
Go, lay ill atiibush ft)r his host, 
While I scud round I/ikc Michigan 
And raise the warriors to a man, 
Who, on their way to j^et to you. 
Shall take a i)ecp at Ivsehikaj^ou.* 

Those runa.i;ates at IMihvackie 
i\Iust now perforce with you a|^ree. 
Slv Si<i<^ernaak and Naakewoin 
Must with Langlade their forces join, 
Or he will sen<i Iheni, ti)ut an diiihlc 
As he did Baptiste I'ointe de Saible.t 

*A river and fort at the head of I.ake Michigan. 

tA handsome negro, well educated and settkd in Chicago, but much iu the 
interest of the French. 



So steps upon the stage of history the earHest non- 
Iiidian settler of Chicago ; a man who built, at about the 
time of our Declaration of Independence, the house which 
was standing within the memory of hundreds of Chica- 
goans of 1892 — the well-known " Kiii/.ie Mansion," 
that faced the north bank of the river where Pine Street 
now ends. 

Mrs. John H. Kinzie, in her delightful book, " Wau- 
Bun, the Early dayin the North-West," calls him "Pointe 
au Sable," and says he was a native of San Domingo, and 
came from that island with a friend named Ghimorgan; 
who had obtained large Spanish grants in or about vSt. 
Louis. She adds that Jean Baptiste sold his Chicago 
establishment to a French trader named Le Mai, and went 
back to Peoria where his friend Cxlamorgan was living, 
and died under his roof, presumably about iSoo. From 
Le Mai, the property passed in 1803. to John Kinzie, the 
real pioneer of Chicago. 

Hispaniola (Hayti and San Domingo) was discovered 
and even colonized, by Columbus, in 1492. It had then 
some two million inhabitants, living like our first parents 
in Eden (Genesis L 27), but the unspeakable crtielty of 
the Spaniards so depopulated the splendid and happy 
island, that in 1517— twenty-five years later— it was 
requisite to import negro slaves to carry on the inining, 
and to-day not one soul of the original race survives. 

The French began to come in 1630. and by the treaty 
of Ryswick [1697] the island was divided between France 



138 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

and Spain. Then began the greatness of the Haytian 
negro, which culminated in Toussaint L'Ouverture, lib- 
erator of his race from French slavery and his land from 
French domain; and later, victim to Napoleon's perfidy. 
Under the French rule many free negroes were educated 
in France, very probably Baptiste Pointe de Saible among 
the rest. At any rate he was of the adventurous spirit 
which would rather be first in a new sphere than last in 
an old, and so, with Glamorgan, he came over to Mobile 
or New Orleans. Then (probably on one of John Law's 
" Compagnie de r Occident " bateaux) he came up the 
Mississippi to Kaskaskia, Cahokia, St. Louis, and at last 
to Peoria, on the Illinois, where he left Glamorgan, and 
pushed on to the Pottowatomie outposts where we find 
him in 1778, the object of Colonel de Peyster's admiring 
dislike. 

Edward G. Mason, in an address before the Historical 
society, giv'esa tradition in regard to Pointe de Saible's 
welcome on Chicago soil, which tradition appears in 
" Early Western Days," a volume published by John T. 
Kingston, formerly a state senator of Wisconsin. It runs 
thus : An Indian living south of the Portage River — 
now called the Chicago — being out hunting, suddenly 
came upon a strange object, half hidden by the under- 
brush. It was a black face with white eyes and wooU}^ 
hair ! (Probably no Indian of his tribe had ever seen a 
negro.) After gazing at the novel sight awhile, he 
grunted, ' ' Ugh ! Mucketewees ! ' ' (black meat.) He cap- 
tured the odd animal and carried him to the village, 
whither came the Indians from far and near to gaze, to 
wonder, and to speculate. Fortunately for Baptiste, for 
Chicago and for history, the consensus of opinion called 
it "bad meat," and so the creature's life was spared. 

Shaubena, a chief of the Pottowatomies, was in and 
about Chicago long after their war dance of 1836. He 
had seen Pointe de Saible, but unfortunately his 
knowledge concerning him is not on record. Mr. Mason 
says regretfully : 

In 1855, at the old Wells Street station, I saw old Shaubena 
wearing moccasins, leggins, coat and plug hat with colored strings 
tied around it. He was gazing with great delight at the Galena 
Railway engine, named for him, and calling the attention of the 
people on the platform to it. He doubtless thought that a much 
more wonderful sight than old Jean Baptiste. 



APi'i-N'Dix a: ui: SAiin.K. 13*J 

One other iiKiiiioii of roiiilc d.' S:iil)lc is thrown up 
from the al most barren shore of Western history. The 
third vohime of the Wisconsin Historical Society's col- 
lection contains certain "Recollections" of Au^ustin 




i? ■ 



fe^-^-y 



SHArBEXA IN OLO AGE. (ABOUT 1S56.) 

Grig-non (a grand-son of Sienr Charles de Lani^lade. who 
became the first permanent wliite settler of Wisconsin 
abont 1735. and. as we have seen, is named by de Pey- 
ster in his verses, among which "Recollections" occnrs 
the following precions bit: 

" At a very early period there was a nei;ro who lived 
here (Chicago) named Baptiste Pointe de vSaible. My 
brother, Perisli Grignon, visited Chicago abont 1704 ami 
told me that Pointe de Saible was a large man, that he 
had a commission for some office, bnt for what particnlar 
office or for what government I cannot now recollect. 
He was a trader, pretty wealthy, and drank freely. I do 
not know what became of him." 

With these bits of chance allnsion — tonches here and 
tliej-e — we get a qnite distinct impression of the lonely 
Baptiste. His origin shows possibility of greatness, for 
it was the same with that of Fran(,>ois Domini(iue Tons- 



140 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF 1 8 12. 

saint, surnamed I'Ouverture. Like him, he was a French 
West-Indian mulatto. He was large, handsome, weli- 
educated and adventurous, traits which mark pretty 
clearly his migrations and his fortunes. Neither in Mobile, 
New Orleans, Kaskaskia, nor St. Louis could he probably 
feel at home, for at each of these places nigritude was 
associated with servitude. Among the Peoria Indians 
he probably found scanty elbow-room, especially if his 
friend and rival trader, Glamorgan, was, as his name 
implies, of Welsh blood — a race which gleans close, and 
thrives where others starve. 

Not unnaturally would he, as tradition suggests, 
aspire to headship of the great tribe of Pottowatomies, 
for he knew how vastly superior he was to the best of 
them; and quite as naturally would he fail, seeing that 
the red strain of blood and the black have even less in 
common than has each with the white. At the same time, 
considering the state of domestic relations at that time 
and place, we may be very sure that he did not fail to 
" take some savage woman " — one or more — to rear his 
dusky race in large numbers and much rude, half-breed 
gaiety and contentment. 

As to his office, one would like greatly to know some- 
thing about it, and is prone to wish that somebody would 
look it up — in the general government archiv^es, or those 
of the North-West Territory, which had been established 
in 1788, General St. Clair being its first governor, and 
Cincinnati (Losantiville) its capital. Why should it not 
have been under Harrison and Wells ? It would scarcely 
have been an English office in view of the unpleasant 
allusion by de Peyster, though the English maintained 
emissaries hereabouts — fomenters of discontent — away on 
almost to the war of 18 12. Still, it might be worth while 
to try the Canadian records. Barring swch a discovery, 
it seems probable that the last word has been written 
about him. 

Jean Baptiste's name " Pointe de Saible " (or Sable) 
might be suspected of being a description of his residence 
rather than an inheritance from his forefathers , for the 
cabin of squared logs, so early built and so lately des- 
troyed, stood at the head of the great sand-point which of 
old interrupted the course of the Chicago river lakeward, 



AlM'l'.NDIX A: Di-; sAiia.i-:. 



T II 



ami tiiiiR(l il sniiili for al)()iit lialf a mile- to whirt- it 
ilowcd over a loll i;, Inidahk-, narrow bar IoiimcmI l)\ llu- 
ceaseless saiulstrcaiii that moves from noith to south 
aloiii; the- western shore of Lake Michigan, lint the 
records and traditions are old enoui^h and exact enou^li 
to uphold the name as a ])atronymic. and leave the place 
as a mere coincidence. One nii.L;ht almost as easily trace 
it to his lack of <;rit and perseverance, seeinj^ that he put 
his hand to the plow and looked back ; that he came to 
Chicago in hope and moved away in despair ; that havin>( 
a "homestead location" he did not stay ami " ])rove 
U}) ;" that, owning;, by occupation, a thousand million 
dollars worth of real estate, he sold it for a song instead 
of waiting for a "boom." Point dc sable — "no sand." 
The two other characteristics of Chicago's first mer- 
chant-prince, which are preserved for mi by lucky chance, 
are that he was " pretty wealthy" and that he "drank 
freely." Only one of the.se traits has come down to his 
successors of a century later. [From " Liber Scripti^- 
rum." published by the Authors' Clnb, New York.] 

Joseph Kikkla.nd. 




CHICAGO RIVER. JUNCTION OK NORTH .\NL) SOUTH BRANCHES (1830). 



4M> 



i}-^ 




142 



ii 



APPKNDIX ]'>. 



FORT DEARHORN RKCOKDS AT WASHINGTON. 




VR iJcpaitiiieiil records, hack 
of the war of 1.S12, are few 
and poor ; partis , no doubt, 
for the reason that during that 
short struggle a British force, 
sailing up the Potomac, seized 
upon the defenceless little city ot 
Washington and burned its public 
buildings with tlieir contents, 
rile Hon. Robert Lincoln, Secre- 
tary of War (under President 
Garfield) at the time of unveiling 
the Block House Tal)let. Ma\- ji. 
1 88 1, kindly furnished to Mr. 
Wentworth copies of all docu- 
ments on file relating to Fort 
Dearborn and its garrison. (Fer- 
gus' Hist., Series No. 16.) 



Extract from a letter written June 28. 1804, by General 
Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War under President Jef- 
ferson : 

Being of opinion that, for the general ilefence of our country, 
we ought not to rely upon fortifications, Ijut on men and steel ; and 
that works calculated for resisting batteries of cannon are neces- 
sary only tor our principal seaports. I cannot conceive it useful or 
expedient to construct expensive works for our interior military 
posts, especially such as are nitended merely to hold the Indians \\\ 
check. I have therefore directed stockade works aided by block- 
houses to be erected at Vincennes, at Chikago, at or near the mouth 
of the Miami of the lakes, and at Kaskaskia. in conformity witli 
the sketch herewith enclosed, each calculated for a full company ; 
the block-houses to be constructed of timber sliijhtly hewed, and 
of the most durable kind to l)e obtained at the respective places ; 
the magazines for powder to be of brick, of a conic figure, each 
capable of receiving from fifty to one liundred barrels of powder. 
E)stablishments of the kind here proposed will, I presume, be nec- 

14;j 



144 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

essary for each of the militafy posts in Upper aud Lower Louisiana, 
New Orleans and its immediate dependencies excepted. I will 
thank you to examine the enclosed sketch, and to give me your 
opinion on the dimensions and other proposed arrangements, You 
will observe the block-houses are to be so placed as to scour from 
the upper and lower stories the whole of the lines. The back part 
of the barracks are to have port-holes which can be opened when 
necessary for the use of musketry for annoying an enemy. 

It will, I presume, be proper ultimately to extend pallisades 
round the block-houses. 



Statement compiled from the Records of the Adjutant 
General's office in the case of Fort Dearborn, with copies 
of orders : 

Fort Dearborn, situated at Chicago, 111., within a few yards of 
Lake Michigan. Latitude 41° 51^ North ; Longitude 87° 15^ West. 
Post established by the United States forces in 1804. (From 1804-12 
no records are on file.) 

August 15th, 1812, the garrison having evacuated the post and 
were en route for Ft. Wayne, under the command of Captain 
Nathan Heald, ist U. S. Infantry, composed of 54 Regular In- 
fantry, 12 Militia men, and one interpreter, was attacked by 
Indians to the number of between 400 aud 500, of whom 15 were 
killed. Those of the garrison killed were Ensign George Ronan, 
ist Infantry, Dr. Isaac Van Voorhis, Captain Wells, Interpreter, 
24 enlisted men, U S. Infantry, and 12 Militia-men ; 2 women and 
12 children were also killed. The wounded were Captain Nathan 
Heald and Mrs. Heald. None others reported. The next day, 
August i6th, 1812, the post was destroyed by the Indians. Reoc- 
cupied about June 1816, Capt. Hezekiah Bradley, 3rd Infantry, 
commanding. The troops continued in occupation until October, 
1823, when the post was evacuated and left in charge of the Indian 
agent ; It was reoccupied Oct. 3rd, 1828. 

Capt. Hezekiah Bradley, 3rd Infantry, commanded the post 
from June 1816, to May 1817 , Brevet Major D. Baker to June 1820; 
Captain Hezekiah Bradley, 3rd Infantry, to January 1821 , Major 
Alex Cummings, 3rd Infantry, to October, 182 1 ; Lieut. Col. J. 
McNeal, 3rd Infantry, to July 1823 ; Captain John Greene, 3rd In- 
fantry, to October, 1S23 ; post not garrisoned from October 1823, to 
October 1828. No returns of post on file prior to 1828. 

Copies of Orders. 
ORDER NO. 35. 

Adjutant General's Office, Washington, 27 May, 1823. 

The Major-Geueral commanding the army directs that Fort 
Dearborn, Chicago, be evacuated, and that the garrison thereof be 
withdrawn to the headquarters of the 3rd regiment of Infantry. 

One company of the 3rd regiment of Infantry will proceed to 
Mackinac and relieve the com.pany of artillery now stationed there, 
which, with the company cf artillery at Fort Slielb3% Detroit, will 
be withdrawn and ordered to the harbor of New York. 



APPKNDIX n: I'OKT DKARBORX RIX'OHDS. 1 i5 

The coniinandini^ (icncral of llu' Ivasttrii (Upartincnt, will ^ive 
tlif iioofssary oiikrs for canyiii;^ tlK-si- iiiovtiiKiils inli) cII'im l, as 
well as iov the security of tlxe pul»iic property at Iwnt^ iJcarljoru 
and Shelby. 

By order of Major-Oeiieral Ilrown. 

(Signed) Chas. J. Xci'KSi-;, ^-hr^^ Adjuianl-Grncral. 

OKDKR NO. 44. 

Adjutaut-Generars OHice, Washiiigloii, 19 August, 1828. 
(Kxtract. ) In conformity with the directions of the Secretary 
of War, the following movements of the troops will he made. 

i'wo coini)anits of the 5th regiment of Infantry to reoccupy 
Fort Dearborn, at the head of Lake Michigan ; the remaining 
eight companies to ])roceed by the way of the Wisconsin and Fox 
rivers to hort IIe>ward, Green Bay, where the head(piarters of the 
regiment will be established. 

Four Co's of the Rcg't to constitute the garrison of Fort Howard; 
two Co's for the garriion of I\Iichilin)ackinac, and two for that of 
Fort Brady. 

4. The Quarlermaster-General's department to furnish the 
necessary transportation and supplies for the movement and ac- 
comodation of the troops. 

The subsistance department to furnish the necessary supplies of 
provisions. 

The Surgeon -General to supply medical officers and suitable 
hospital supplies for the posts to be established and reoccupied. 

5. The Commanding Generals of the Eastern and Western 
departments are respectively charged with the execution of this 
order as far as relates totlieir respective commands. 

By order of Major- General ]\Iacomb. IMajor-General Command- 
ing the Army. 

(Signed) R. Jones, Adjulan '-General. 

ORDER NO. 16. 

Adjutant-General's Ofhce, Washington, 23 Feb., 1832. 

(Copy.) The headfjunrters of the 2nd Regiment of Inlantry are 
transferred to Port Niagara. Lieut. Col. Cummings, with all the 
officers and men composing the garrison of Madison Barracks, 
Sackelt's Harbor, will accordingly relieve the garrison of Fort 
Niagara; and INLijor Whistler, on being relieved by Lieut. -Col. 
Cummings, with all the troops under his, command, will repair to 
Fort Dearborn (Chicago, Illinois) and garrison that post. 

Assistant Surgeon De Camp, now on duty at Madison Barracks, 
is assigned to duty at I'ort Dearborn, and will accompany the 
troops ordered to that post. These movements will take place as 
soon as the navigation will permit. 

By order of jNIajor-General Macomb. 

(Signed) R. JONES, Adjutant-General. 

GENERAI^ ORDER HE.AOIARTEKS OF THE ARMV. NO. 80. 

Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, Nov. 30th, 1836. 
(Extract) 1. The troops stationeil at I'ort Dearborn, Chicago, 
will immediately proceed to Fort Howard and join the garrison at 



140 



THE CHlCACO MASSACUK OF lBl2. 



that post. Such public property as may be left at Fort Dearborn 
will remain in charge of Brevt-Major Plympton, of the 5th In- 
fantry; who will continue in command of the post until otherwise 
instructed. 

By order of Alexander Macomb, Maj.-Gen. Com'd'g-in-Chief. 

(Signed) R. Jones, Adjutant- General. 



When the last fort was being demolished [1856] an old 
paper was found which bore internal evidence of being a 




INTERIOR OF NEW FORT (1850), LAKE HOUSE IN THE DISTANCE. 

survival from the first fort. How it could have surviv^ed 
the flames of 1812 is a mystery. Perhaps some brick 
bomb-proof magazine chanced to shelter it, and the build- 
ers of the new fort, finding it, laid it in a closet, where 
it remained, hidden and forgotten. One would like to see 
it to-day — if it also survived October 9, 1871I 

Permission is hereby given for one gill of whiskey each: Deni- 
son,-^ Dyer,* Andrews,'- Keanible (?), Burman, J. Corbin,* Burnett, 
Smith,* McPherson, Hamilton, Fury*, Grumond* (?), Morfitt, 
Lynch,* Locker*, Peterson,* P. Corbin,* Van Horn,* Mills. 



(Signed), 



*Appear on the muster-roll given on page 150. Several of the names recur 
in the Plattsburg story of the nine survivors (21 May 1814). 



November 12th, 1811. 



AI'I'I-NDIX h: lOKT DMAKHOKN Kl'CokDS. 



1 17 



On Decemher 2(). iS;/,. the garrison u:is finally with- 
drawn hoiM l'(.il iKarlxirn. an<l after its thirty thicc 
yearsof slirrinj; vicissitndcs il ims-t-d int., a nsclcss old 
age, which lasted a score of years Infore its ahandonnunt 
as a j^overnnRnl possession. In fact, one of its huihlinj^s 
— a i;reat, barn like, wooden hospital— was standing', in 
use as a hos])ital storehonse, np lo 1.S71. when the ;;reat 
fire ohlileraled it, with nearly all else that was ancient in 
Chicai^o. 



An exce])tion to this deslrnction and the fast j^atherinj^ 
cloud of oblivion, is to be found in an old red granite 




WAUBANSA STONE WITH GREAT FIRE RELICS. 

boulder, with a rude human face carved on it. which 
stood in the center of the fort esplanade, and which is 
now ( I. S9 1 ) one of our few anti<piarian treasures. It is 
nearly eio^ht feet hi.^h by three feet in <;reatest diameter, 
and wei<^hs perhaps 4,000 pounds. In jMehistoric times 
the Indians used the concave top for a cornmill. and for 
many, many weary hours must the patient and long-suf- 



148 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OE l8l2. 

fering squaws have leaned over it, crushing the scanty, 
flinty corn of those days into material for the food of 
braves and pappooses. 

Many persons have looked on it as a relic of prehis- 
toric art — the sacrificial stone of an Aztec teocalli per- 
haps — but Mr. Hurlbut gives the cold truth; more mod- 
ern, though scarcely less romantic. He says it was set up 
in the fort, and soldiers, sick and well, used it as a 
lounging-place. Sometimes it served as a pillory for dis- 
orderly characters, and it was a common expression or 
threat, that for certain offenses the offender would be 
"sent to the rock." Waubansa was a Chicago chief, and 
a soldier-sculptor tried to depict his features on the stone; 
and (to quote Mr. Hurlbut): 

" The portrait pleased the Indians, the liege friends of 
the chief, greatly; for a party of them, admitted into the 
block-house to see it, whooped and leaped as if th'^^y had 
achieved a victory, and with uncouth gestures they 
danced in a triumphant circle around the rock." 

lu 1837 . . Daniel Webster paid a visit to the West, and took 
Chicago ill his route. . . The conveyance was a barouche with 
four elegant creams attached. Mr. Webster was accompanied by 
his daughter and son. Every wheel-vehicle, every horse and nmle 
in town, it is said, weie in requisition that day, and the senator was 
met some miles out by a numerous delegation from this neiv ciy, 
who joined in the procession. . . . It was the fourth of July, the 
column came over Randolph Street bridge, and thence to the 
parade-ground within the fort. There were guns at the fort, which 
were eloquent, of course, though the soMiers had left some weeks 
before. The foundation of all this outcry about IVIr. Webster is, 
that the base and platform on which that gentleman stood when he 
made the speech within the fort, was the rock, the same Waubansa 
stone. . . . Justin Butterfield (who stood directly in front of the 
senator) swung his hat and cheered the speaker. 

The "statue" was pierced to form the base of a foun- 
tain, and was set up as one of the curiosities of the great 
Sanitary Commission Fair, held in 1865, in Dearborn 
Park, in aid of the sick and wounded in the war for the 
Union. In 1 856 it was adopted as a relic by the Hon. 
Isaac N. Arnold— member of Congress during the war 
and one of the staunchest and ablest of patriots, and 
most devoted of friends to the soldiers — who moved it to 
his home, in Erie street. Mr. Arnold's house was burned 
with the rest in the great fire of 1871, and old "Wau- 



AIM'KNDIX n. KOKT DI-AK HORN KlCOkUS. 1 !'.» 

baiisa" passed tlirouj^li llic flaiiK-swilli the same uiiinovid 
look he had preserved llnoii^h his earlier vicissitudes. 
Afterward iiuiiierous fire relics were ijr<JU|K*d aU)Ut liim 
and a pholoKiaph taken, wherein, for the first time, he 
looks al)asiied. as if conscious of the contrast between his 
uncoutliness and tlie carvings wliich surround liis antique 
lineaments. Tlie stone stands open lo the i)nl>lic view in 
the ij:rounds adjoinini; tlie new home ( i(x> I'ine Street). 
which Mr. Arnold l)uilt after tlic fire, and in which he 
lived up to the time of his lamented death, in Ai)ril. 1.S.S4. 



Who were the victims of August fifteenth, isi 2.^ What 
were the names of the killed, the wounded, tlie tortured, 
the missing? This is a question tt) whicli only the 
merest a])olog\- for an answer can l)e given. In tens of 
thousands of cases the very act of dying for one's country 
forbids the possibility of becoming known to fame. 
Nameless graves dot our land from north to south, and 
from east to west, especially from tlie Susquehanna to 
the Rio Grande and from the Ohio to the Gulf. Heaven 
knows who were those dead, and who they might liave 
become if they had not died when and where they did.. 
Let us hope that somewhere in the universe they have 
their record — on earth they are forgotten. 

I have aimed at recording every surviving name of the 
dv/ellers in Chicago up to the massacre. As an effort 
toward that end, I give, on the next page, the last muster 
and pay-roll of the troops at the old fort, as shown by 
existing records. It is headed : 

"Muster roll of a company of Infantry under the com- 
mand of Captain Nathan Heald. in the r'irst Regiment of 
the United States, commanded b\ Colonel Jacob Kings- 
bury, from Nov. 30, when last mustered, to Decemlx-r 
31, 1810J' 

It concludes with a certificate in the following form, 
identical, by the way, with the formula in use in our 
army to this day (1893): 

Rf,c.\pitul\tion.— Present, fit for duty, 50; sick, 6; unfit for service, 3; on 
coinmand, i; on lurlouj^h. i; disdiarvred, 6. Total. 67. 

We Certify t)n lienor thai this nin-^ter roll exhibit- a true statement of the 
company e.:>intnanilc.l by Captain Nalh.m Ilcald, and that the remarks set op- 
posile their names are accuiati: anil jn>t J. C<Jorr.R s M.it«-, 

Ph. O'Strander, Lieutcuaut commaudiug the Company. 



Names. 



*Nathan Heald 

Philip O'Strander.. . 

Seth Thompsou .. . 

*Johii Cooper 

Joseph Glass 

*Johu Crozier 

Richard Rickinau ... 

Thomas Forth 

*Asa Campbell 

*Rhodias Jones. 

*Richard Garuer 

George Burnet 

John Smith, 

*John Hamilton 

"Hugh McPherson., . 

*John Allen 

George Adams 

Presley Andrews .... 
Thomas Ashbrook. . 

Thomas Burns 

Patrick Burke 

Redmond Berry ..... 

William Best 

James Chapman 

James Corbin 

Fielding Corbin 

Silas Clark 

James Clark 

*Dyson Dyer. 

Stephen Draper 

"Daniel Dougherty . . . 
Michael Deuison... . 

* Nathan Edson. . . . : 

*Johu Fury 

*Paul Grummo 

*Wil!iam N. Hunt... 

John Kelsoe 

*David Kennison .... 
*Sam'l Kirkpa'tdck.. . 

*Jacob Laudon 

*James Lutta 

•■= Michael Lynch .... 

* Michael Leonard .... 

Hugh Logan 

'"Frederick Locker . . 

Andrew Loy ... 

August Mott 

Ralph Miller 

Peter Miller 

"Duncan McCarty . . . 
Pa rick McGowau. . . . 

James Maburv 

William Mofifit 

John Moyan 

*John Neads 

*Joseph Noles 

*Thomas Poindexler. 
William Pickett ..... 
-"Frederick Peterson . 

*David Sherror 

*John Suttonfield. . . . 

*John Smith 

*James Starr 

Phillip Smith 

*John Simmons . 
*James Van Home.. . 
Anthony L. Waggoner 



Rank. 



Captain . . 
2nd Lieut. 



Surg. Mate 
Sergeant . 

i b 

Corporal. .. 

4 t 

Fifer 

Drummer 
Private . . . 









Appointed or en 
listed, 



1810. 
1807. 
1810. 
1806 



1807 

1810. 

1806. 

1806. 

1805. 



1810. 
1805. 



1810. 

1806.. 

1807. 



31 Jan. 1807. 

1 May 1808. 

1 3 Aug. 1808, 
13 June 1808 
18 June 1806 

2 July 1808. 

10 May 1806. 

6 July 1807 

26 Jan. 
9 Dec. 
2 Oct. 

1 Oct. 

27 June 1806 

5 July 1808 

20 Oct. 
27 Nov. 

21 Aug. 

11 July 

29 Dec. 

18 June 1806. . 

27 May 1806. . 

2 July 1806 . 

22 April 1806. 

1 Dec. 1805.. 

2 Oct. 

7 Dec 
15 Aug. 1806 

4 Dec. 1805 
I Oct. 

19 July 

13 Aug 

28 April 1S06 

6 April 1810 . 

19 March 1808.. . 

1 Oct. 1810 

18 Oct. I810 

17 Dec. 1805 

14 March 1808. . . 

20 Dec. 1810 

28 Nov. 1807 

10 April 1810 

20 Dec. 1810. . . . 
13 April 1810 

5 May 1806 . .. . 
13 April 1810.. .. 

6 July 1807 

9 July 1806 

19 Dec. 1805 

13 June 1806. . .. 

2 Aug. 1S07 . . . . 

30 April 1S06 . . . 

14 April 1806. . . . 

23 April 1806.. . . 
28 June 1806 

5 July 1808 ... . 

8 Sept 1810.... 

3 Sept. 1810 . . 

6 June 1S06 . . . 
I June 1808. . . . 

1 Oct. 1810 

8 Sept. 1807 .. 

2 April 1808. . . . 

18 Nov. 1809 

3c April i<-o6. . . . 
14 March 1810 . 

2 May ]8io 

9 Jan I806 



Remarks and changes 
since last muster. 



On furlough in Mass 

Present. Of Capt. Rhea's 

Co. Asst . M y Agt. Sick, 

Present 









" (sick). 
Term expired 29 Dec. 1810. 
Present. 

" (sick). 

Present unfit for service. 
Time expired i Dec. 1810. 

Present. 
Time expired 7 Dec. 1810. 
On command at Ft. Wayne 
Time expired 4 Dec. iSio. 

Present (sick). 



rime expired 17 Dec. i8io„ 

Present. 

Re-enlisted 20 Dec. 1810, 

Unfit for service. 



Re-enlisted 20 Dec. 
Present. 



1810. 



Term expired 19 Dec. 1810. 
Present, unfit for service. 
Present. 



n 
tl 

«t 
i( 
<t 
<i 

it 
(i 
It 
t( 



(sick). 

(sick). 



*Men who are likely to have been in service at 

150 



the time of the massacre. 



Arri'NDix c. 



TIIK WHISTLKK I AMIUY. 



^fS(H^^ 







CCOKDIXn to (^anlmrsMil 
itar\ Dicliuiiary. Cajjlain Julin 
Whistler was born in Ireland. 
Ih was orij^inally a British 
solclicT, anil was made- j)ris- 
oner with Ciencral Iiur);(n lie 
at the battle of Saratoj^a, in 
1777. where on rCieiieral Henry 
Dearborn was serving as Ma- 
jor. The captives were con- 
ducted to Bcjston, where. l)\ the 
terms of the ca])ilulatioii, they 
should ha\e been paroled; but for 
some reason (which the ICiii^lish. by 
way, considered no sufficient excuse for 
not complying; with the military a«;reement) 
the Continental C«mgress held them as pris- 
oners of war until the i)eace of i'J^^t,. 

John Whistler did not return to I'jigland, 
but joined the American army and became 
.^\\l\ first sergeant, and then won his way to acaj)- 
x\nLD ONION, taincy in the lMr>t Infantry, in which capac- 
ity he came, in iS()4, and built the first Kort Dearborn. 
He was brevetted major in 1S12, and served with his 
company until it was disbanded after the close of the war 
(June, 1815). Hedied in iS27at Hellefontaine. Missouri, 
where he had been military storekeeper for several years. 
John Wentworth (Fort Dearborn; Fergus* Historical 
Series, No. 16, p. 14) says: 

Some writers contend that had Captain Whistk-r 1>ccn in charge 
of the fort instead of Captain lUiM. the massacre wcnild not ha»e 
taken place. Captain Hcald has had no one to six-ak for him liere. 
But he was appoinlcil frc.ui Ma^^s.uhuselts a sccoiul lieulcnanl in 

l.".l 



152 THE CHICA.GO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

1799, aud could not be supposed to have that acquaiutaucewith the 
characteristics of thelndiaES which Whistler had, who had beeu in 
his country's service ever since Burgoyne's surrender in 1777, and 
principally against the Indians, and frequently participating in the 
campaigns of General Arthur St. Clair, in one of which he was 
wounded. 

Of him Captain Andreas says (Hist. Chi. Vol. I, p. 80): 

After the war he married and settled in Hagerstown, Md., where 
his son William was born. He enlisted in the American army and 
took part in the Northwestern Indian War, serving under St. Clair 
and afterward under Wayne. He was speedily promoted, rising 
through the lower grades to a lieutenancy in 1792, aud became a 
captain in 1794. He rebuilt the fort in 1815* [after the destruction 
and massacre in 1812] and removed to St. Charles, Mo., in 1817. In 
1818 he was military storekeeper at St. Louis, aud died at Bellefon- 
taine, Mo., in 1827. He was a brave and efficient officer, and be- 
came the progenitor of a line of brave and efficient soldiers. 

His son, George Washington Whistler, was with Cap- 
tain John when the family came to Chicago, being then 
three years old. This is the Major Whistler who became 
a distingtiished engineer in the service of Russia. 
Another son, Lieutenant William Whistler, with his 
young wafe (Julia Ferson) came to Chicago with Captain 
Whistler. He will be mentioned later as one of the last 
commandants of Fort Dearborn, holding that post until 
1833. He lived until 1863. 

Julia Ferson, who became Mrs. William Whistler, was 
born in Salem, Mass., 1787. Her parents were John and 
Mary (La Dake) Ferson. In childhood she removed with 
her parents to Detroit, where she received most of her 
education. In May, 1802, she was married to William 
Whistler (born in Hagerstown Md., about 1784), a sec- 
and lieutenant in the company of his father, Captaiii John 
Whistler, U. S. A., then stationed at Detroit. (Fergus' 
Historical Series No. 16.) She visited Chicago in 1875, 
when, at eighty-seven, her mind and memory were of the 
brightest, and conversation with her on old matters was 
a rare pleasure. Mrs. General Philip Sheridan is her 
grand niece, and cherishes her relationship as a patent to 
high rank in our Chicago nobility. No portrait of John 
Whistler is known to exist. For likenesses of Major 
and Mrs. William Whistler see pages 58 and 59. 

*Apparentlj' an error. The second fort was bnilt by Captain Hezekiah 
Bradley, who was sent here for that purpose with two companies of infantry, 
arriving July 4, iSi6. 



APIM-NDIX C: THM \\IIISTM:K IA.MILY. 



153 



A (laiiL;1ilcr of William and Ihis chariiuii^ old lady was 
born in iSiS, and nanu-d ( i winthk-an. She was married 
at Fori Dearborn, in iS;>4, to Rnbt-rt A Kin/ie. second 




MKS. CWKNTHI-F.AN (WHISTI.KRI KINZIK iSijl). 



son of John Kinzie. the pioneer. Mrs. 
zie is now living in Chicago, and has 
the preparation of this narrative.'^' 



(iwenthlean Kin- 
been consnlted in 



r :i mmiieiil''* 
u-it 



*On meiitioniiitr to Jiidpc Caton that Mrs Roln-rt Kit 
here following a long absnice. the vciK-rahlc Chid-Jii-'t; 
thought, sa il: " Yt-s. I remember the marriage, ami thai llu l.i 
the liiost beautiful womeu vouc.ui imagine. I have tuvir .-«•« ii 
time. Ladies were not plentiful in this part of the worM thm. ami \vt- wrrc 
not over particular about looks, but C.wenthkan Whi>tler Kmizu- wouUI be 
noted for her beautv au\ where at anv time." .\\u\ on liKikmR at tlic lady her- 
self, one can well believe all that can be said iu praise of her charms in her 
girlish years -sixteen when she was married. 



154 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF lSl2. 

Mr. Hurlbut (Chicago Antiquities, p. 83) giv^es the 
following spirited account of a visit made in 1875 to Mrs. 
Julia (Person) Whistler, wife of William and daughter-in- 
law of old John, the whilom soldier in the army of General 
Burgoy ne. (It will be observed that Mr. Huribut slightly 
mistook his war record). 

Very few of the four hundred thousand reasonably adult indi- 
viduals now residing in Chicago are aware that the person of whom 
we are going to speak is now a visitor in Chicago. After so long a 
period — since early in the century; before those of our citizens who 
have reached their "three-score years and ten" were born, when 
she came, a trustful wife of sixteen, and stepped ashore upon the 
river-bank — it is not a little remarkable that she is to-day again 
passing over and around the locality of her early home. Under the 
gentle supervision of this married maiden's blue eyes our stockade- 
fortress, then so far within the wilderness, was erected. Yet, of all 
those who came in that summer of 1803; the sailor-men of that ves- 
sel, the oarsmen of that boat, the company of United States sol- 
diers, Captiiu and Mrs. Whistler and their con, the husband and 
his bride of a year; all, we may safely say, have bid adieu to earth 
excepting this lone representative. These are some of the circum- 
stances which contribute to make this lady a personage of unusual 
interest to the dwellers here. A few particulars in the life of Mrs. 
Whistler, together with some of the facts attending the coming of 
those who arrived to assist in the building of Fort Dearborn, will 
certainly be acceptable. 

It was a coveted pilgrimage which we sought, as any one might 
believe, for it was during the tremendous rain-storm of the evening 
of the 29th of October, 1875, that we sallied out to call at Mrs. Col- 
onel R. A. Kinzie's, for an introduction to the lady's mother, Mrs. 
Whistler. When we entered the parlor, the venerable woman was 
engaged at the center table, in some game of amusement with her 
grand-children and great grand-children, seemingly as much inter- 
ested as any of the juveniles. (We will remark here that five gen- 
erations in succession of this family have lived in Chicago.) She 
claimed to enjoy good health, and was, apparently, an unusual 
specimen of well preserved faculties, both intellectual and physical. 
She is of tall form, and her ap})earance still indicates the truth of 
the common report, that in her earlier years she was a person of 
uncommon elegance. A marked trait of hers has been a spirit of 
unyielding energy and determination, and which length of years 
has not yet subdued. Her tenacious memory ministers to a vol- 
uble tongue, and we may say, briefly, she is an agreeable, intel- 
Hgent, and sprightly lady, numbering only a little over 88 years. 
"To-day," said she, "I received my first pension on account of 
my husband's services." Mrs. Whistler resides in Newport, Ken- 
tucky. She has one son and several grand-sons in the army. Born 
in Salem, Mass., July 3rd, 1787, her maiden name was Julia Ferson, 
and her parents were John and Mary (LaDake) Ferson. In child- 
hood she removed with her parents to Detroit, where she received 
most of- her education. In the month of May, 1802, she was 



APPKNDIX C: Till. Wm^Tl.Kk lAMII.Y. 1-V> 

tiiarrictUo William Whisllcr (l)«>ru in Ilaj^ersldwii. M«l., .iImhU 17H4>, 
;i stcoiul liLUlcnaiil in the (•nni])any (»f his fatlur. Captam J«»hn 
Whislkr, l'. S. A., then stati<>nt<l at Ditioil. In llu- suinnu t nl 
the cnsniii}; year, Captain Whistler's company wan onlcrtMl to Chi- 
cago, to oecupy the post an<l hniM the fort, Licntenant Janus S. 
Swearinj^en (lati- Col. Sw »aiin>^'en of Chillicothe,< ». i ron<hulr«l the 
et)nipaiiv Ironi 1 )rlruil ovt rland. The T. S. Sleanur "Tracy," I)<»rr 
master, \\ as (lesj)alehe<l at same time for same destination, with 
sui)plies, and having also on l)f)ard Ca])tain John Whistler. Mrs. 
Whistler, lluir son (Uor^e W., then thiee years old (alterwards the 
distinguished en<;iiieer in the employ of tl:e Russian yjovrrnnient I 
Lieutenant William Whistler, and the youn^ wife of the last named 
gentleman. The schooner stoi>i)ed hrietly on her route at tlie St. 
JDseph's river, where the Whistleis left the vessel and took a row- 
boat to Chicago. The schooner, on arriving at Chii ag«», anchored 
half a mile from the shore, discharging her freight by boats. Some 
two thousand Indians visited the locality while the vessel was Jiere. 
being attracted bv so unusual an occurrence as the a})pearance. in 
thesrwaters, of a" big canoe with wings." Lieutenant Swcanngen 
returned wiih the ** Tracv" to Detroit. 

There were then here, says Mrs W., but four rude huts or 
traders' cabins, occupied bv white men, Cana«liau l"rench with In- 
dian wives ; of these were'Le Mai, Pettell and (»uilmette. No fort 
existed here at that time, although it is under>to«><l (see treaty of 
GreenvilleUhat there had been one at a former day. bmlt by the 
French, doubtless, as it was upon one of the main routes fiom New 
France to Louisiana, of which extensive region that government 
lon"^ held possession bv a series of military p<.sts. [It is said that 
Durantave. a French official, built some sort of a forlitication here as 

earlv as 16S5.] 

Captain Whistler, upon his arrival, at once .set about erecting a 
stockade and shelter for their protection, followed by getting out 
the sticks for the heavier work It is worth mentioning here that 
there was not at that time within hundreds ot miles a team of 
horses or oxen, and, as a conse(iuenre. the s(ddiers ha. to don the 
harness and with the aid of ropes drag home the neede.l tinders. 
The birth of two children within the tort we have referred to else- 
where Lieutenant Whistler, after a five years' sojourn here, was 
transferred to Fort Wavne, having previously been niadt- a first lieu- 
tenant He distinguished himself at the battle o| Maguag... Mich.. 
\u'nist9th 1S12; was in Detroit at the time ot Hulls surrender, 
knd^ with Mrs. Whistler, was taken prisoner to Montreal; was 
promoted to a Captain in December, 1S12. to Major in iSa^. an<l to 
Lieutenant-Colonel in 1S45. At his death he had rendered sixty- 
two vears continuous service in the army, yet Mrs W. says she 
remembers but six short furloughs during the wh.. e time. He 
was stationed at various posts, besides those of r.recti Hav. >'-«K;«r-';; 
and Sackett's Harbor; at the last name.l post t.eiiera ^"'^"y^'*'- 
a subaltern officer) belonged to the command of ^ol'^"^'!^^ ' /" 
Tune 18^.2, Colonel Whistler arrived again at I-ctl Dearborn not 
the work which he had assisted to build twenty-eight years befr.re. 
for that was burned in 1S12. but the later on.-, erected m 1S16-17. 
He then remained here but a brief period. 



156 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

Colonel William Whistler's height at maturity was six feet two 
inches, and his weight at one time was 250 pounds. He died in 
Newport, Kentucky, December 4th, 1863. 

Captain John Whistler, the builder and commandant of the first 
Fort Dearborn (afterwards Major W.) was an officer in the army 
of the Revolution. We regret that we have so few facts concerning 
his history ; nor have we a portrait or signature of the patriot. It 
is believed that when ordered to Chicago he belonged to a regiment 
of artillery. He continued in command at Fort Dearborn until the 
fore part of 1811, we think, for we notice that his successor, Cap- 
tain Heald, gave to the Pottowatomie chief "Little Chief" a pass to 
St. Louis, dated July 11, 181 1. Mrs. Whist'x;':^ expressed to us her 
opinion that had Captain W. been continued in command, the 
Chicago massacre would not have happened. Major John Whist- 
ler died at Bellefontaine. Mo., in 1827. 

Colonel James Swearingen was a second lieutenant in 1803, when 
he conducted the company of Captain Whistler from Detroit across 
Michigan to Chicago. The regiment of artillery, with which he 
was connected, is understood to have been the only corps of that 
branch of defence. Lieutenant Swearingen continued in the service 
until about 1816, attaining the rank of colonel, when he resigned 
his commission and made his residence in Chillicothe. O., where 
he died on his eighty-second birthday, in February, 1864 

Mrs. Jtilia (Person) Whistler died at Newport, Ky., 
in 1878, at the ripe age of ninety years. 

James McNeil Whistler, the eccentric and distinguished 
London artist, is descended from old John, the Burgoyne 
British soldier, through George Washington Whistler, 
the great American engineer in the Russian service. 

It is interesting to observe that both our old leading 
families, the Whistlers and the Kinzies, have furnished 
successive generations of soldiers to their cotintr}^ The 
heroic death of John Harris Kinzie, second, will be noted 
in the Appendix D, which is devoted to the Kinzie 
family. Of the Whistlers, some of the name have been 
constantly in the military service, and when the two 
families joined by the marriage of Robert Kinzie and 
Gvventhlean Whistler the racial tendency continued. 

General Garland Whistler, son of Colonel William 
Whistler, was a graduate of West Point, and a soldier in 
the war for the Union. He is now on the retired list. 
His son, Major Garland Whistler, also a graduate, was 
in the late war and is still in the service. Major David 
Hunter Kinzie, son of Robert (uniting the two families), 
left West Point for active service in the Union war. He 
is now at the Presidio, California. Captain John Kinzie, 
another son of Robert, is stationed at Omaha, 



APPKNDIX I). 



THK KINZIIC lAMIl.V. 




I'U'.INNINO at a point even 
furlhcr back in the dim past 
than the huihlin^ of I'ointe 
(Ic Saible'scahiii. wctakeup 
the narrative of the lives of 
its hitest owners 
JohnKin/ie was horn in Oncl>cc 
about 1763. son of John McKen- 
zie, or McKin/.ie, a Scotihnuin, 
who married Mrs. Habbnrton. a 
widow, with one dau-hter.* and 
died when his son John was very 
V' young. Mrs. McKenzie made a 
% third marriasre, with one William 
Forsyth, who had served under 
General Wolfe in the taking of 
Ouebec. William Forsyth, with 
wife, children and stepchildren, 
lived many years in New York, 
and later in Detroit. 
While thev lived in New York, John McKiiiz.e after- 
ward John Kiiuie. was sent, with two Porsyth half-broth- 
ers to school in Williamsburuh, just across the hast 
river- a ne-ro servant, or slave, goin- every Saturday 
nioht'to bring the three boys home. One SUurday there 
was no Johnnie to be found-the embryo frontiersman 
had run awav He got on board a sloop bound for Alban> 
am Si n with some one who helped him on to Ouebec 
wl ere he f.)und emplovment in the shop of a silversmith. 
Tild there he remainedthree years and learned the trade 

General Fleming aud Nicholas Lo%n. boin Ncr> uci 
Brooklyu. 



158 ' THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

which later gave him the Indian name, "Shaw-nee-aw- 
kee' ' — silversmith. 

We next find him in Detroit, with his mother and step- 
father, who had moved thither with their Forsyth chil- 
dren.* Robert Forsyth, a grandson of William, was 
well known in Chicago in the decade before the Union 
War. He w^as an officer of the Illinois Central Railway, 
and his tall, handsome figure, his bluff, hearty manners 
and his unquestionable ability, made him a general 
favorite. 

While at Detroit, John Kinzie began his long career as 
Indian-trader, beginning with the Shawnees and Ottawas 
in the Ohio country. In this way he made the acquaint- 
ance of two Indian girls, who, when young, had been 
captured on the Kanawha River and taken to Chillicothe, 
the headquarters of the tribe. Their names were Mar- 
garet and Elizabeth McKenzie, and their story is thus 
romantically told by Rufus Blanchard in his admirable 
"Discovery of the Northwest and History of Chicago." 
(R. Blanchard & Co., Wheaton, 111. 1881.) 

Among the venturesouie pioneers of Virginia was a backwoods- 
man named McKenzie. He, wiih a numberof hiscomrades, settled 
at the mouth of Wolf 's creek, where it empties into the Kanawha. 
During Dunmore's War on the frontier [about 1773] the Shawa- 
nese, in one of their border forays, came suddenly upon the home 
of McKenzie, killed his wife and led two of his children into cap- 
tivity. The names of the young captives were Margaret, ten years 
old, and Elizabeth; eight years old. They were taken to Chilli- 
cothe, the great Indian Town of the Shawanese, where they were 
adopted into the family of a high-bred Indian chief and raised un- 
der the tender care of his obedient squaw, according to custom. 
Ten years later Margaret was allowed to accompany her foster- 
father on a hunting-excursion to the St. Mary's River, near Fort 
Wayne. A young chief of the same tribe became enamored by the 



*\Villiam Forsyth kept a hotel in Detroit for many years and died there in 
1790 Robert, one of his sons, was in the service of the American government 
during the war of 1812. Thomas, who became Major Thomas Forsyth, U. S. A., 
was born in Detroit, December 5, 1771. Before the war of 1S12, he was Indian 
Agent among the Pottowatomies at Peoria Lake. After the war of 1812 he was 
sent as U. S. Indian Agent among the Sauks and Foxes, with whom he re- 
mained many years. He died at St. Louis, October 29, 1S33. Colonel Robert 
Forsyth, an early resident of Chicago, was the son of Major Thomas Forsyth; 
George, another son of William Forsyth, was lost in the woods near Detroit, 
August 6, 1778. (Andreas' Hist. Chic.) Mrs. Kinzie quotes from the record in 
an "old family Bible, as follows: "George Forsyth was lost in the woods 6th 
August, 1778, when Henry Havs and Mark Stirling ran away and left him. The 
remains of George Forsyth were found by an Indian the 2d of October, 1776 close 
by the Prairie Ronde." Family tradition gives some particulars of the disaster, 
adding the touching fact that after its fourteen months' exposure there was 
nothing to idetitify the body but the auburn curls and the little boots. 



Ai-ri-NDix d: tin-: kinzik family. 



ir.ii 



gracts and accompli .hnK-nls of the y«»uii)< ranlivr. l»ulM.irv;arrt re- 
tuilod from hcv swartliy lovtr ami (KtiriiuiuMl not to yiiM lui lu-art 
to one who had no hi);lur destiny for \\vr lli.in toornanit-nt his U){- 
gings with porcnpinc (|nills— one of the hi^ihest acconiphsluncnts 
of which a sipiaw is capable. Mar^^arefs lover approa« hed the 
c iinj) where she was slee])int^. inlendinj^to forre her lo Iumomic his 
wife. According,' tolhe hulian cnstoni. a din of yells an«l rattle of a 
drum announced the intentions of the wouldhe l)ride^jr«Kjm lo 
the terrified victim. The heroine lied to the forest for protection. 

I'ortnnately her 
do^ followed her as 
she fled down the 
hank of the St. Ma- 
ry's River, to the 
stockade, half a 
mile distant, where 
the hf>rses w e r e 
kept. The footsteps 
of her detestahle 
lover were close Ik*- 
hind. She turne<l 
and set her di>g at 
him, and reached 
the st<jckade, un- 
hitched a horse, 
leaped u p o n his 
l)ack and took her 
lliijht throuj^h the 
wilderness, seven- 
ty-five miles, to her 
Indian home at 
Chillicothe. The 
horse died the next 
day after he had 
performe<l so won- 
derful a feat with- 
out rest or suste- 
nance. This heroic 
L^irl and her sister. 
Kli/al>eth, iK'came 
JOHN K. CLARK. afterwnnl mothers 

of some of the first pioneers of Chicago. 

After the adventures of Margaret, as just told, she, with far sis- 
ter, Elizabeth, were taken to Detroit by their foster-father, au«l there 
they became acquainted with John Kin/ie— ami they were married. 
Elizabeth at the same time met a Scotchman named Clark and 
married him. The two young couples lived in Detroit about five 
years, during which tin'ie Margaret (Kinzie) had three children. 
William, Jauu-s and Ivlizabeth; and IClizaln-th < Clark i had two. 
John K. and Elizabeth. 

The treatv of Greenville. 1795, having restored j.eace on the 
border Mr. 'Isaac McKenzie. the fatlur, received ti<lings of his 




160 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



children, and went to Detroit to see them. The two young moth- 
ers, with their children, returned with their father to their old 
home, to which arrangement both of their husbands consented. A 
final separation was not intended, but time and distance divorced 
them forever. Mr. Kinzie afterwards moved to St. Joseph's, where 
he mnrried a Mrs. McKillip, the widow of a British officer. Mar- 
garet married Mr. Benjamin Hall, of Virginia, and Elizabeth mar- 
ried Mr. Jonas Clybourn of the same place. David, the oldest son of 
Benjamin Hall and Margaret, made a journey to Chicago in 1822, 
and he remained 

there three years. ^ " ' ^ 

On his return to 
Virginia his flat- 
tering account of 
the place induced 
a number of per- 
sons to emigrate 
thither. The first 
of these was x\rch- 
i b a Id Clybourrr, 
the eldest son of 
Elizal)eth, who re- 
mained a perma- 
nent resident and 
an esteemed citi- 
zen, well known 
to thousands of 
the present in- 
habitants of Chi- 
cago. His mother 
was Elizabeth the 
captive, who, with 
her second hus- 
band, Mr. Cly- 
bourn, soon after- 
wards came to 
Chicago. Mr. 
Benjamin Hall 
was another of 
the Chicago pio- 
neers w h o emi- 
grated to Chicago ARCHIBALD CLYBOURN. 

in consequence of 

David Hall's commendations of its future promise. Margaret, the 

captive, was his aunt, and to him the writer is indebted for the de- 




I 



i 




^}y^t^^n.<^ 



/uWy<4 



tail of Margaret's and Elizabeth's history. Mr. Hall is now a 
resident of Wheaton. He came to Chicago in 1830 and was the pro- 
prietor of the first tannerv ever established there. 



aii'i:n!)IX d: Tin-: kinzik i-amiuv. 



Uil 



I<lii;alKlh kiu/.ii', <la'.i>ihtt r of JmIhi Kiu/ir. lH»amr tin* wife «>f 
Saiimcl Milk-r, of a rrsjH-ctahlc (Ju.ikt I f.tiiiily in < )liio. Shr was 
liij^hly rcsjHcli'<l by all wliokmw \\vr. 1 kr liiis))aii<l k«|it ihi'MilltT 
llousf, at tlu' forks of till- Chira^^o RivtT. Janus Kiii/n- latm- to 
Chicago about I Sj |, iiul was wrll ri-ciivr<l by Iii«4 fatluT. ( j.iinrH 
is iiKiitioiK <1 li\ Mi Kiii/ii- in a ktter written in 1S21, j^ivcii lattr in 
this aitick]. 

This is the roinnulic story taken 1)\ Mr. 15l;mchar«l 
from the lips of tliL- iK'i)lic\v of OIK- of the captive j;nl>. 
and given in his vahiahle history. Some of the circtnn- 
stanoes stated as fact may l)e questionable, especially the 
"marria.i^e" of the ^irls to >Ir. Kin/.ie and Mr. Clark. 
Their summary removal by tlieir lather, and their mar- 
riage to other men, considered with the marriage of Mr. 
Kinzie and Mr. Clark to other women, seems to cast 
doubt tipon the occurrence of any ceremonies, civil or re- 
liirious. Tho.se relations were lightlv held at that time 
and place. There is doubtless a " bend sinister " some- 
where, but it seems unlikely that James Kin/.ie and ICliz- 
abeth and Samuel Miller would have left the legitimacy 



l^LC^ 



of the more distinguished branch of the family tniassailed 
if it had been assailable. (It is said that Mrs. Miller did 
chafe under the scandal.) 

In iSoo John Kinzie married ICleanor ( r.ytle) McKillip, 
widow of a British officer, who had one daughter, Marga- 
ret, afterward Mrs. Lieutenant Helm. In the same year 
he moved to the St. Joseph's River, which empties into 
Lake Michigan on its eastern side, nearly opposite Chi- 
cago, and there set up his trading-h(mse. His son. John 
Harris Kinzie, was born at Sandwich, opposite Detroit, 
wdiere his mother chanced to be spending a day when lu- 
made his unexpected ai)pearance. 

In 1S03 John Kinzie visited Chicago, having probably 
learned of the approaching esta)>lishnienl of lujrt Dear- 
born, and bought the Le Mai hotise. bmlt b> Jean Hap- 
tiste Pointe de Saible, .some twent\ five years before. He 
moved into it with his family in the following year. 
From that time to his death, in i8jS. he is the most con- 
spicuous and unique figure in Chicago history, and fairly 




162 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF lBl2. 

deserves the name of the father of the city. His branch 
trading-posts existed in Milwaukee, at Rock River, on 
the Illinois and Kankakee Rivers, and in the Sangamon 
country. To quote again Andreas (Hist. Chic. Vol. I, 

P- 73)- 

This extended Indian trade made the employment of a large 
number of men at headquarters a necessity, and the Canadian 
voyageurs in the service of Mr. Kinzie were about the only white 
men who had occasion to visit Chica.^^o during those early years. 
He was sutler for the garrison at the fort in addition to his Indian 
trade, and also kept up his manufacture of the ornaments in which 
the Indians delighted. During the first residence of Mr. and Mrs. 
John Kinzie in Chicago, three children were born to them — Ellen 
Marion in December, 1805; Maria Indiana in 1807, and Robert Al- 
len, February 8, 1810. Margaret McKillip, Mr. Kinzie's step- 
daughter, who married Lieutenant LinaiT. Helm of Fort Dearborn, 
and also Robert Forsyth, nephew of Mr. Kinzie, were at times mem- 
bers of his family, the latter being the first teacher of John H. 
Kinzie. 

Henry H. Hurlbut in his delightful "Chicago Antiqui- 
ties,"* says: 

By what we learn from a search in the county records at De- 
troit, John Kinzie seems to have been doing business there in the 
years 1795-97 and '98. In May, 1795, some portion of the Ottawa 
tribe of Indians conveyed lands on the Maumee to John Kinzie, 
silversmith, of Detroit; also in the same year to John Kinzie, mer- 
chant, of Detroit. It appears, also, from the same records, that in 
September, 1810, John Kinzie and John Whistler Jr. were lately co- 
partners in trade at Fort Dearborn, and in the same year John Kin- 
zie and Thomas Forsyth were merchants in Chicago. We are told 
by Robert A. Kinzie that his father was sutler at Fort Dearborn 
when he came to Chicago in 1804; possibly Mr. Whistler Jr. was 
his partner in that enterprise. In October, 1815, John Kinzie and 
Thomas Forsyth were copartners in trade in the District of Detroit, 
Territory of Michigan. In March, 1816, appear on the records the 
names of John Kinzie, silversmith, and Elenor, his wife, of Detroit. 
By these items it seems that though Mr. Kinzie took up his resi- 
dence in Chicago in 1804 [the first entry here upon his books bore 
date May 12, 1804] and that he left here after the battle of August, 
1812, returning in 1816, yet he was still identified with Detroit, cer- 
tainly until the summer of 1816. We notice that he was a witness 
at the treaty of Spring W^ells, near Detroit, in September, 1815. 
He was one of the interpreters. 

Wau-Bun gives a long and romantic biography of John 
Kinzie and his progenitors; such a sketch as would natti- 

*A book full of bits ot old-time gossip, traditions and skeptical notes on 
other traditions, controversial criticism on Wau-Bun and other books, and good- 
huinored raillery, aimed at persons and things of the early daj'. OnU- five hun- 
dred copies were printed, and the book is becoming scarce, but some copies re- 
main for sale in the family of its author, 27 Winthrop Place, Chicago. 



ai>pi:ndi.\ d: run kinzik tamilv 



U',:] 



rally (and properly) be made l)y a daii^hld -in-law. wril- 
iiii; (hirinu Uk- lilViiiiR- of many of tiu- persons directly 
interested in the faets related, l.nt onnltin^' Ihinj^s ulncl'i 
wonld shock the sensibilities of those i>ersons. and mar 
the literary symmetry of the pietnre set forth in lur 
pages. She does not allude to the Mar-aret MeKen/ie 
episode, never mentions James Kinzie. well known Chi- 
ca.i^oan as he was, and also i<;nores another matter which 
the integrity of history requires to be stated, and which 
the lapse of almost three ^venerations should disarm of 
the stino which mi<;ht attach to it at the time of Wan- 
Bun. This matter is the killing, in self-defense, of John 
Lalime, by John Kinzie, (See Appendix F. ) 

After the massacre and the subsequent events so ro- 
mantically described in 
\Van-P,un, Mr. Kinzie 
returned, probably in 
the autumn of i,Si6. to 
Chica<;o. where he re- 
occupied t h e historic 
house. To sit on his 
front porch and watch 
the buildincr of a new 
fort in the old spot 
must have been a min- 
gling^ of pleasure and 
pain. All that had 
pa.ssed since the origi- 
nal incoming of twelve 
years l)cfore must have 
seemed like a dream. 
The lake to the east- 
ward, the river in fn^it, 
the prairie beyond and 
the oak woods behind 
him were all as of oUl; 
but here around him were the children born and reared 
in the intervening years; here were new soldiers to take 
the place of the little band sacrificed four years ago. 
There, scattered over the sand-hill-;, were the bleaching 
bones of the martyred dead, and within dwelt an endur- 
ing memory of the horrors of their killing. 




MRS. JULIETTE KINZIE (1S56), 
Author of '•Wau-Buu." 



164 



TH^ CHICAGO MASSACRK OF l8l5. 



And where were the savings of a lifetime of industry, 
courage and enterprise ? Gone beyond recall. He made 
heroic efforts to redeem something from the wreck, trav- 
eling in Indian fashion and in Indian dress from one to 
another of the places where he had had branch trading- 
posts, and where debts were due to him. But it takes 
only a slight knowledge of affairs in a new country to 
see clearly that after war has disturbed andravageda dis- 
trict, and four years of absence have wasted the goods 
and scattered the debtors, every dollar saved would have 
cost in the saving two dollars' worth of work and sacri- 
fice of strength and 
time. That his salv- 
age was small and his 
later days quite devoid 
of the ease and com- 
fort which his hard- 
won early success 
should have guaran- 
teed him, we have the 
testimony of a letter 
written by him August 
19, 1 82 1, to his son 
John H., after he had 
placed the latter with 
the American (Astor's) 
Fur Company at Mack- 
inaw: 

Dear Son — I receiv^ed 
your letter by the schoon- 
er. Nothing gives nie more 




JOHN HARRIS KINZIE (1827). 

From a miniature in possessiou of the 
Kinzie family. 



satisfaction than to hear 
from you and of you. It 
does give both myself and 
your mother a pleasure to 
hear how your conduct is 
talked of by every oae that hopes you every advantage. Let 
this rather stimulate you to continue the worthy man, for a 
good name is better than wealth, and we cannot be too circumspect 
in our line of conduct. Mr. Crooks speaks highly of you and try 
to continue to be the favorite of such worthy men as Mr. Crooks, 
Mr. Stewart and other gentlemen of the firm. Your mother and all 
of the family are well and send their love to you. James''^ is here, 
and I am pleased that his returns are such as to satisfy the firm. 

*Johu's half-brother, son of the captive girl, Margaret McKenzie. 



AiM-iiNDix d: Tin-: KINZIi: rAMII.V. 



k;.' 



I liavc \ivv\\ riMlmol in waj^t-s, owiti^j to llw- cr..noiMy <•! iljr 
eovciiumtit. Mv iuUTprctcrS salary is no tncri- aii<l 1 haNc Init 
Ikk) l(. sul.sisl on'. It «lois work tnc hanl sonu-Unu-s lo provide for 
vonr brolhiTsan.l sistt-rs ..n tliis and maintain my fjMiiily in a de- 
cent manner. 1 will have to laki- m w imasnres. I hate to r|: 

honses, bill I have hem re(|iiesled lo wait CoiiantS arrival. W 
all nii,i;hl\ l.iisv, as the treaty e«)mmenees to-morrow and we have 
horderof Indians around iis alrrad\ . .M \ l.< st n-siK-ets to Mr. 
Crooks and Stewart and all the i^mlUiiKn of \..iir honse. 

Adien. I am your loving father, 




This is said to be the only letter of John Kiii/.ie "^ tliat 
is known to exist. (A large and invalnable olleclDn of 
papers were given in 1S77 t<. tlie Hislonc:d Scciety by 
John H Kinzie, and perished with tlie society bnddin.i; 
in the oreat fire of 1S71). No portrait ol John Kni/,ie 
has ever been fonnd. 

He assisted in ne<-otiating the treaty of 1.S21. betore 
mentioned; addressing the Indians to reconcile them to 
it and signing it as a sub-agent, which j.ost he filed 
nnder his son-in-law. Dr. Alexander Wolcott, Indian 
agent. In 1825 he was appointed Justice of the Peace, 

for Peoria connty. .... . r 

Captain Andreas remarks on John km/.ie s standing 

with the Indians as follows : 

The esteem m whi.h Mr. Kinzie was held by the In.lians is 
shown by the treaty made with the Poltowatomies '^^M;l.-.'»l>^'^J^"- 
i8^8^"n one provision of which they gave to I.leanor km/.e and 
her fou^ ehil.Ln bv the late John Km/ie I3.500 in consuleration 
oftle attachmenr..f the Indians to her deceased hnsbandwlo 
was lone an Indian trader and who lost a large snm m the trade, 
bv the c^rc^nis ^iven them and also by the deslrnct.on of his prop- 
Sty The "lonev is in lieu of a tract of land which the huiiaus 
gave the late John Kinzie long since, and upcm which he lived. 
" There is no donbt that the Indians had a warm feeling 
for the Kinzies. At the same time it seems ]>robable that 
thetreatv in question, like all other treaties was care- 
fnllv arran-ed i)v the whites and merely snl^mitted to 
the'lndians^for ratification. The Indians did not give 
any money, all pavmeiits came timn the I nited btate>, 



166 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF 1 8 12. 



and were made to such persons (other than Indians) as 
the commissioners thought best to care for. As to the 
land given by the Indians to Mr. Kinzie and on which he 
lived, where was it ? The Indians had parted with the 

Chicago tract, six 
miles square, nine 
years before Mr. 
Kinzie arrived at 
Fort Dearborn. It 
is true that in May, 
1795, the Ottawas 
(not the Pottowat- 
omies) conveyed 
land in Ohio to 
John Kinzie and 
Thomas Forsyth ; 
but he certainly 
never lived on it. 
He also lived at 
Pare - aux - Vaches, 
on the St. Joseph's 
river, from 1800 to 
1804. It is possi- 
ble, thouiih not 




JOHN HARRIS KINZIE IN LATER LIFE. 



'&^ 



probable, that the Indians made him a grant there. 

Everyone who visited the hospitable "Kinzie mansion" 
was glad to do so again. Let us follow the good example. 

The structure, as put up by Pointe de Saible, and 
passed through the hands of Le Mai to John Kinzie, was a 
cabin of roughly squared logs. In Kinzie' s time it was 
beautified, enlarged, improved and surrounded by out- 
houses, trees, fences, grass p'ats, piazza and garden. 
"The latch string hung outside the door,"^ and all were 
free to pull it and enter. Friend or stranger, red-man or 
white could come and go, eat and drink, sleep and wake, 
listen and talk as well. A tale is told of two travelers 
who mistook the house for an inn, gave orders, asked 
questions, praised and blamed, as one does who says to 
himself, " Shall I not take mine ease in mine inn ? " and 

*This odd expression of welcome came from theold style of door-fastening; 
a latch within lifted by the hand or bv a string which was poked through a 
gimlet hole, so that it could be pulled"from the outside. To lock the door the 
household simply pulled in the string and kept it irside, 



AIM'KNDIX 1>: TIM- KINZIK l-AMII.Y. 



H,7 



who were keenlv iiiorlified wluii ihey came to pay llieir 
scot and Iniind thai tlieie was n«>m- l<> Jkiv. I«» front (as 
the picture shows) wen- Unw fine ]>ophirs ; in tlie rear, 
two great cotton-woods. 'IMu- remains of one of lluse 
hist named were visible at a very hite peri(xl. ( Wlio 
knows ju^t how hitely ?) In tlie (mt-bnildinK^ were ac- 
commodated dairy. l)akin«,-()vens. stal)les and rooms for 
"the iMvnchmen," tlie Canadian rf/X(t,i:t-s who were ll»en 
the chief subordinates in fur-tradinK^ and whose descend- 
ants are now well-known citizens, their names ])er|'etu- 
atiu*' their anccstrv — Ikau- 
bien, Laframboise, Porthier, 
Mirandeau. etc. 

Captain Andreas says : 

The Kiii/.ic house was no 
gloomy home. Up to the very 
time of their forced removal, the 
chiltlreii (lanced to the sound of 
their father's violin and the long 
hours of frontier life were made 
merry with sport and i)lay. 
Later the primitive court of 
Justice Kinzie nuist have been 
held in the "spare room"— if 
spare room there was. 

Hurlbut, in his "Chicago 
Antiquities," says: 

The last distinguishe<l guest from abroad whom the Kin/ies 
entertained at the oM house was (Governor Ca-s; m the snmmrr of 
18^7 This was during the Winnebago Indian excitement Curdon 
Hubbard savs: "While at breakfast at Mr. Kinzie's house we 
heard singing, faint at first but gra.lually growing h.uder as the 
singer approached. Mr. Kin/ie recognized the leading voice as 
that of Bob iM.rsvlh. an.l left tlie table lor the pia/za of the house, 
where we all followed. About where Wells Street crosses, in plain 
.sivrht from where we sloo.l. was a light birch bark camx-. maiuRM! 
with thirteen men. rapi.llv approaching, the men keeping tunc 
with the paddles to one of the Cana.lian boat->..ngs • it proved to 
he Govern.. r Cass an.l his secretary. Robert 1-orsyth. an.l they 
landed ami soon joined in." 

The visit of Governor Cass wasju.st before the " Win- 
nebago scare " of 1S27. He it was that infonned the 
lonely, unarmed and defenceless post of Port Dearborn ol 
the Winnebago uprising. Gurdon Hubbard at once pro- 
posed to ride\lown the " Hubbard Trail •' for help. The 




ROBERT AI.l.KN Kl-NZIK 



168 



THB CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



others objected for fear they might be attacked before his 
return ; but it was finally decided that he should go, and 
go he did. At Danville he raised, within about a day, 
fifty volunteers, armed and mounted, and started for Fort 
Dearborn. They reached the Vermilion, then at flood 
and running "bank-full" and very rapidly. The horses 
on being driven in would turn and come back to shore. 
Hubbard, provoked at the delay, threw off his coat, cry- 
ing : "Give me old Charley ! " Mounting the horse he 
boldly dashed into the stream, and the other horses 




KINZIE MANSION AS GIVEN IN WAU-BUN. 

crowded after him. "The water was so swift that Old 
Charley became unmanageable; but Hubbard dismounted 
on the upper side, seized the horse by the mane, and, 
swimming with his left hand, guided the horse in the 
direction of the opposite shore. We were afraid he would 
be washed under, or struck by his feet and drowned, but 
he got over.'i^" 

The brave rescuers arrived and stayed, petted and 
feasted by the Chicagoans of that day, until a runner 
came in from Green Bay, bringing word that Governor 
Cass had made peace with the Indians. 

*See " the Winnebago Scare " by Hiram W. Beckwith, of Danville. Fergus' 
Historical Series No. lo. 



Aii'HNiHX d: Tin KiNv.ii- I wtrr V 



li'.'i 



According i,, m,. n,nll,ui. ;,^ [U^ „i,i ,„astcT ncarcd 
his end the old lioincsU-ad also went to decay. Tlu- very 
logs niiist have been in a perishing condition alter fifty 
years of service, and the lake sand, driven by the lake 
breezes, piled i I sellu]) against the n.»rth and east sides. 
Then, loo, the standard ..t" coint .rt liad changed. Son- 
in-law W'olcoit had rooms in tlu Ijriik bnilding of the 
unoccupied fori. Colonel lieaui)ien liad a Iranie liou.sc 




■^\^. 



GCRDON SALTONSTALL HI'BBARD. IN MIDDLE MFE. 

close to the fort's south wall (now Michigan Avenue and 
River Streets), and thither the Kinzies moved. What 
more natural than that the ancient tree, as it tottered to its 
fdl. should lean over toward the young saplings that had 
sprung up at its foot ? It is the way of the world. 

It was in 1S27 that Mr. Kinzie. and whatever then 
formed his household, (luitted the historical log house 
for the la.st time. In 1829, it was (says Andreas; u.sed 



170 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF 1 8 12. 

for a while by Anson N. Taylor as a store. In March, 
1 83 1, Mr. Bailey lived in it and probably made it the 
post office, its first location in Chicago, as he was the 
first postmaster. The mail was then brought from Detroit 
on horseback, about twice a month. 
Captain Andreas says : 

After 1S31 and 1832, when Mark Noble occupied it with his 
family, there is no record of its being inhabited. lis decaying logs 
were used by the Indians and immigrants for fuel, and the drifting 
sands of Lake Michigan was fast piled over its remains. No one 
knows when it finally disappeared, but with the growth of the new 
town, this relic of the early day of Chicago passed from sight to be 
numbered among the things that were. 

Mrs. Robert Kinzie says now (1893) that she is sure 
that the house was standing when she was married in the 
fort, in 1834, and she thinks long afterward She scouts 
the idea that those solid logs were used by the Indians 
or immigrants for fuel. 

The following account of Mr. Kinzie' s death was 
learned from Mr. Gurdon S. Hubbard : '* He remained 
in full vigor of health in both body and mind, till he had 
a slight attack of apoplexy, after which his health con- 
tinued to decline until his death, which took place in a 
few months, at the residence of his son-in-law, Dr. Wol- 
cott, who then lived in the brick building, formerly used 
as the officers' quarters in the fort. Here, while on a 
brief visit to Mrs. Wolcott (Ellen Marion Kinzie), he 
was suddenly attacked with apoplexy. Mr. Hubbard, 
then living in Mr. Kinzie' s family, was sent for, and on 
coming into the presence of the dying man he found him 
in convulsions on the floor, in the parlor, his head sup- 
ported by his daughter. Mr. Hubbard raised him to a 
sitting position and thus supported him till he drew his 
last breath. The funeral service took place in the fort 
and the last honors due to the old pioneer were paid with 
impressive respect by the few inhabitants of the place." 

Mr. Kinzie' s remains were first buried in the fort bury- 
ing ground on the lake shore south of the old fort (about 
M?chigan Avenue and Washington Street) whence they 
were later removed to a plot west of the present water- 
works (Chicago Avenue and Tower Place) and finally to 
Graceland, where they now rest. 



ArrKNDix D: Tin- k'iwii i'xmii.v 



171 



^ UiifortiinalLly tiure exists no i-orli-iii of John Kin/jc. 
Tlu portrait of John II. Kiii/ic, lakcii from a iniiiialiirc, 
and that of his wife, the author of Wau Hun. are kindly 
furnished l)y their dauKliler, Mrs. Nellie Kin/ie (iordoii. 
Tliere has also been copied an oil j)ortrait of the la.st 
named lady herself. ])ainte(l hy Ilealy in 1S57. when she 
was about to (piit lur native city for her home in Savan- 
nah . Georgia, which departure was a loss still remem- 
bered and reL;retted by her many Chicago friends and 

admirers; in other 
words by all of the 
Chicago of I. S57 which 
.-■urxives to iSc;-^. 

A fourth portrait 
ot this honored branch 
of the pioneer stock 
i^ that of the son, 
John H. Kinzie, Jr., 
wlio died for his 
country in a manner 
which must endear 
his memory to every 
Union l(jving patriot. 
The following touch- 
ing sketch of his life 
and death is contribut- 
etl by a near relative 
of the brave young 
martyr. 
John Harris Kinzie. 
Jr., was born in 1838. He was educated as a civil engi- 
neer at the Polytechnic Institute of Ann Arbor. Midi. 
He served in the navy during the war and met his tragic 
fate in 1862. while master's mate on the gunboat Mound 
City, commanded by Admiral Davis. 

While attacking a fort on the White River, a shot 
from the fort's battery penetrated theboilerof the Mound 
City. In the terrific explosion that followed, young 
Kinzie and more th;in ninety others were .scalded and 
blown overboard. 

The hospital boat of the fleet immediately set out to 
rescue the wounded men. As Kinzie struck out for the 




MKS. N1.LL:E ^KINZII.; (jlJKMON. 



172 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



boat, his friend Augustus Taylor, of Cairo, called out to 
him to keep out of the range of the fort as the sharp- 
shooters were evidently picking off the wounded men in 
the water. This proved to be true; young Kinzie was 
shot through the legs and arms by minie balls as he was 
being lifted into the boat. 

He soon heard the shouts of his comrades; and turn- 
ing to one of his 
friends, he said: 

"We have taken 
the fort. I am ready- 
to die now." 

He sank rapidly 
and died the following 
morning, June i8, 
just as the sun was 
rising. He left a 
young wife barely 
eighteen years old, a 
daughter of Judge 
James, of Racine, Wis- 
consin, and his own 
little daughter was 
born three months 
after his death. 

It was necessary to 
put a guard over the 
person of Colonel Fry 
(who was captured with the fort) to save him from being 
sacrificed to the indignation the men felt against him for 
having ordered his sharp-shooters to pick off the scalded 
men and shoot them in the water. 




JOHN HARRIS KINZIE, JR 



Arri-NDix i:. 



WILLIAM WKLLS AND KKUKKAH WHLLS IIKALU. 




RATITUDIC lo our nr^l hero 
and martyr calls for a some- 
what extciuled study of his 
life, aud it will he found inter- 
esting en()Ui;h to repay the at- 
tention. 
Cohmel vSamuel Wells and \u> hn.ther 
Captain William Wells were Kentuck- 
ians; the family being said to have come 
from Virginia.' William, when twelve 
,'( years old, was stolen by the Indians 
from the residence of Hon. Nathaniel 
Pope, where both brothers seem to 
have been living. He was adopted by 
Me-che-kan-nah-qua. or little Turtle, a 
chief of the Miamis. lived in his house 
and married his daughter Wah-nan-ga- 
he had several children, of whom the 

following left children : . • tt i i 

Peine zah-quah (Rebekah) married Captain Haekky, 
of Fort Wayne, leaving Ann and John Hackley. her 

children. , ,, >r ^i 

Ah-mah-qua-zah-quah (a "sweet breeze -Mary)boni 

at Fort Wavne Mav lo, 1800. married Judge James W ol- 
c>ttMarch'8, 1S21 : died at Maumee City, (now Nmth 
Toledo,) O., Feb. 19, 1S34. leaving children ^^^^ t^^, '\^; 
William Wells Wolcott, Toledo: Mary Ann (W olcott) 
Gilbert, South Toledo; Henry Clay W.)lc..tt. South 
Toledo andJamesMadison Wolcott. South Toledo. 
Jane (Wells) Origg. living at Peru. Indiana: has 

children. . ,. , , 1 i 1 

Yelberton P. Wells, St. Louis, died leaving one child. 

173 



petli, bv whom 



174 THE CHICA.GO MASSACRE OF I $12. 

William fought on the side of the Indians in the cam- 
paign of 1790 and 1 791, when they defeated the Ameri- 
cans under Generals Harmer and Saint Clair. The story 
of his reclamation, as told by Rebekah (Wells) Heald to 
her son Darius, and repeated by him to a stenographer, 
ill my presence, in 1892, is quite romantic. 

Rebekah was daughter of Samuel Wells, elder brother 
of William, and was therefore niece of the latter. She 
must have been born between 1780 and 1790. We learn 
from the story of her son, the Hon. Darius Heald, as 
follows : 

She was fond of telling the story of her life, and her children 
and her friends were never tired of listening to it. [Her son thinks 
he has heard her tell it a hundred times.] She would begin away- 
back in her girlhood, spent in the country about Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, when her father, Colonel Samuel Wells, was living there ; and 
tell how they all wanted uncle William W^ells, whom they called 
their "Indian uncle," to leave the Indians who had stolen him in 
his boyhood, and come home and belong to his white relations. 
He hung back for years, and even at last, when he agreed to visit 
them, made the proviso that he should be allowed to bring along 
an Indian escort with him, so that he should not be compelled to 
stay with them if he did not want to. 

Young Rebekah Wells was the one who had been chosen to go 
to the Indian council with her father, and persuade her uncle 
William to come and visit his old home ; she, being a girl, very 
likely had more influence with him than any of the men could 
have had. William Wells was at that time living a wild Indian 
life, roaming up and down the Wabash river, and between the 
lakes and the Ohio. Probably the place where the battle of Tip- 
picanoe was fought, in 181 1, near the present site of La Fayette, 
Indiana, was pretty near the center of his regular stamping 
ground. 

After much hesitation he consented to get together a party of 
braves, somewhere from seventy-five to a hundred, and visit his 
relatives. Little Turtle, whose daughter he had married, was 
along, very likely commanding the escort. They went down to 
the falls of the Ohio river, about opposite Louisville, and camped, 
while William Wells, with a picked band of twenty-five, crossed 
the river and met with his own people. Then the question arose 
as to whether he was the brother of Colonel Sanmel Wells, and he 
asked to be taken to the place where he was said to have been cap- 
tured, to see if he could remember the circumstances. _ When he 
reached there, he looked about and pointed in a certain direction 
and asked if there was a pond there ; and they said : "Well, let's 
go and see." Sc they went in the direction indicated, and to be 
sure thev saw the pond ; and he said that he could remember that 
pond. Then he saw a younger brother present, whom he had acci- 
dentally wounded in the head as a child, and he said to his brother: 



APP1-:NI)IX K: WI-M.S A.ND in.Al.h i A.wil.li..^. 17') 

"N(nv if vou nrc mv hrollur lluro ouj^ht t«) U- a mark on \\n- l»atk. 
ofvour 1rm«1. where- 1 hit y«>u with a stom- otu- «lay;"aM«l ihc 
bnilhcr held u|) his hca»l, and WilHam lifltd the hair and f«mnd 
the scar, and he said : "Vi-s. I am yonr hr<.thrr." 

William was now ronvinntl lor ihe liisl time that \\v was the 
brollur of Colonel Samuel Wells, hnt he wenl hack wiih his Indian 
friends his falher-inlaw. Little Tnrlle. and the rest, ami ii was not 
milil sometime later that he told Little Tnrtle that, altlwu^h he 
had fought lor his Indian frien<ls all his life, the tune had now- 
come wiren he was eoin)^ home to fi^'ht for his own fU sh and McxmI. 
It was nndcr a bii^ tree on the banks of the Miami that lie had ihis 
talk, and he piniued to the sun and said : "TUlthesnn ^;«)es np 
ill the middle of the skv we are friends. After tliat yon ran kill 
me if you want to." ' Still they always remained friends, and 
agreed that if in war. if one could find ont on which side of the 
army the other was ])ut, he would clian;^'e positions so as not If) Jk: 
likely to meet the other in battle ; and it one recoj^Mii/ed the otlicr 
while lij^hting. he would never aim to hit him. They also had the 
privilege of meeting and talking' to each other, it beiiiK nnderstoo*! 
that nothin<i was to be said about the opposing' numbers of their 
armies. They were not to act as spies but simply to meet each 
other as friends 

It was at abotit the lime wIrmi (Wncral Wayne, '' Mad 
Anthony," came into command thai Wells ktt his red 
friends and be.^an to serve on the side of his own flesh 
and blood. He was made captain of a company of scouts, 
and must have done i;ood service, for. in 179S. he accom- 
panied his father-in-iaw. Little Turtle, to Philadelphia, 
where the Indian (and probably Wells also) was presented 
to President Washington, and in 1803 we find him back 
at Chicago signins: an Indian trader's license : •W'.H. 
Harrison, Governor of Indian Territory, by William 
Wells, agent at Indian affairs." Little Turtle lived 
usuallv at Fort Wayne. 0( him his friend John John- 
ston, of Piqua, Ohio, said : 

"He was a man of ^aeat wit. humor and vivacity, fond of the 
companv of i^eiitlcmen and deliiilited in j^jood eatiuK- When I 
knew him he had two wives living,' with him under the same rm)! 
in the greatest harmonv. This <listinj,niished chief died at I-ort 
Wavne ofa confirmed case (f «ont. brou-ht on by hi.uh livinp. and 
was buried with military honors by the tro<^ps of the I nitr.l States. 

He died Julv 14. 1S12, and was buried on the west 
bank of the river at Fort Wayne. His portrait hangs on 
the walls of the War Department at Washington. 

In 1S09 Captain Wells took his niece, Rebekah. with 
him to Fort Wavnc on a visit. Captain Heald was then 



176 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

on duty at Fort Wayne, and it was doubtless there that 
the love-making took place which led to the marriage of 
the two young people in 1811. 

The following interesting bits concerning Captain 
Wells are taken from a letter written by A. H. Edwards 
to Hon. John Wentworth (Fergus' Hist. Series No. 16), 
the remainder of which letter is given later in this volume. 
(See Appendix G.) 

Captain Wells, after being captured by the Indians when a boy, 
remained with them until the treaty with the Miamis. Somewhere 
about the year 1795 he was a chief and an adopted brother of the 
celebrated chief Little Turtle. Captain Wells signed the marriage 
certificate, as officiating magistrate, of my father and mother at 
Fort Wayne, June, 1805. The certificate is now in my possession. 

"Fort Wayne, 4th June. 
" I do hereby certify that I joined Dr. Abraham Edwards and 
Ruthy Hunt in the holy bonds of matrimony, on the third instant, 
according to the law. 

" Given under my Hand and Seal, the day and year above written. 

"Wii.i,iAM WeIvI^S, Esq." 

3f * * Captain Wells urged Major Heald not to leave the fort, 
as he did not like the way the Indians acted, and was well ac- 
quamted with all their movements as learned from his Indian 
allies, who deserted him the moment the firing commenced. Cap- 
tain N. Heald's story is as I heard it from the mouth of one who 
saw it all, the girl and her mother, the one living in our family for 
many years, and the mother in Detroit. Their name was Cooper. 

Captain Wells, soon after leaving the Indians, was appointed 
interpreter at the request of General Wayne, and was with him in 
his campaign against the Indians as captain of a company of spies, 
and many thrilling accounts were given me of his daring and 
remarkable adventures as such, related by one who received them 
from his own lips, and in confirmation of one of his adventures 
pointed at an Indian present, and said: "That Indian," says he, 
"belongs to me, and sticks to me like a brother," and then told 
how he captured him with his rifle on his shoulder. This Indian 
was the one who gave Mrs. Wells the first intimation of his death 
and then disappeared, supposed to have returned to his people. 

Captain William Wells was acting Indian Agent and Justice of 
the Peace at Fort Wayne at the time he married my father and 
mother, and was considered a remarkably brave and resolute man. 
I will give you a sketch of one of his feats as told me by my mother, 
who was present and witnessed it all. The Indians were collected 
at Fort Wayne on the way for the purpose of meeting the Miamis 
and other Indians in council. While camped there they invited 
the officers of the fort to come out and witness a grand dance, and 
other performances, previous to their departure for the Indian con- 
ference. Wells advised the commander of the fort not to go, as he 
did not like the actions of the Indians ; but his advice was over- 



Ai'rKNDix r.. \vi:i.i.s and iikai.d iamiliks. 177 

ruled, au.l all hands wciU out. iiuludinj^ llu- oflirtTs' ladies. lUit 
the troops in thi- fort were on the aUrl. the r j^uus were loadc<l and 
sentries wen- d(.ul)le<l, as it was in the evening. A very larj^e lent 
was provided tor th« ])nrp<)se of the j^iaiid danee. After inuny 
preliminarN dances ami talks, a lar^e and powerful chief arosr 
and conunenced his dance around the rin^, and jnade many tlour 
ishes with his tomahawk. Then he i anie up to Wells, who sIoimI 
next my mother, and spoke in Intlian an<l ma<le demonstrali«)ns 
with hi^ tomahawk that looked d.mj^erous. and then took his seat. 
Hut no sooner than he did so Wells ^.wv one (.f the nw.st unearthly 
war-whoops she ever heard, and spranj.; up into the :iir as hi^h as 
her head, and i)icked up the jaw hone of a horse or ox that lay 
near by, and went around the rinj^' in a more vij;orous and artistic 
Indian' style than had been seen that evening ; and woun<l up hy 
goin«4 up'tothe hii; Indian and llourishin.u his jaw-hone, and told 
him that he had killed more Indians than white men. and had 
killed one that looked just like him, and he l)elieve<l it was his 
brother, onlv much better lookini,' and abetter brave than he was. 
The Indians were ])erfectlv taken by surprise. Wells turned t.» the 
otTicers and told them to 'be going. He hurried them oft to the 
fort, and had all hands on the alert during the night. When f|ues- 
tioned as to his action and what he said, he replied that he ha.l 
told the Indians what I have relate<l. TheJi he emiuired of those 
present if they did not see that the Indians standn g on the oppo- 
site side of th'e tent had their rifles wiaj)])ed up in their blankets. 
" Ifl had not done just as I had, and talked to that Indian as I 
did, we would all have been shot in five minutes ; but my actions 
required a council, as their plans were, as they supposed, frus- 
trated, and that the troops would be down on them at the first 
hostile move thev made." He saw the game when he first went in, 
as his Indian training taught him. and he waited just for the 
demonstration that was made as the signal for action. W ells saw- 
no time was to be lost, and made good his resolve, and the big 
Indian cowed un.ler the demonstration of Wells. My mother said 
he looked as if he expected Wells to make an end of hini for w hat 
he had said to Wells in his dance. " I had to meet bravado with 
bravado, and I think I beat." said Wells. Vcm could see it in 
the countenances of all the Indians. The .same advice Riven to 
Heald if attended to, wouM have saved the massacre of Fort 
Dearborn. * * * * A. H. I-i.wakds. 

James Madison Wnlcott, .i^raiidsoii t.f Captain WVlls 
(throtiirh Ah-inah-quali/ah (piah. who married Judge 
James Wolcott) wrote to Mr. Wentworlh as follows: 

We are proud of our Little Turtle [Indian] blooil and of our 
Captain WVlls blood. We trv to keej) up the customs of our an- 
cestors and dress occasionally in lndiancostun.es. We t.-ike no 
exception when people speak of our Indian j)arentage. W e take 
pleasure in sen. ling vou the tomahawk which Captain W lUiam 
Wells had at the time of his death, and which was brought to his 
familv bv an Indian who was in the battle. We also have a dress- 



178 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

sword which was presented to him by General W. H. Harrison, and 
a great many books which he had ; showing that even when he 
lived among the Indians, he was trying to improve himself. He 
did all he could to educate his chiMren, Captain Wells, in the year 
of his death, sent to President Madison, at Little Turtle's request, the 
intrepretation of the speech that that chief made to General W. 
H. Harrison, January 25, 1812, 

Captain Heald never got rid of the effect of his wound. 
The bullet remained embedded in his hip and doubtless 
is in his coffin. He resigned shortly after the war, and 
the family (in 181 7) settled at Stockland, Missouri. The 
new name of the place, O' Fallon, recalls the fact that the 
well known Colonel O' Fallon, of St. Louis, was an old 
friend of the family, and himself redeemed the things 
which the Indians had captured at the massacre (the 
same articles now cherished as relics of the historic event) 
and sent them to Colonel Samuel Wells at Louisville, 
where they arrived during the interval when all supposed 
that Nathan and Rebekah had perished with the members 
of the garrison and their fellow-sufferers. 

Among the articles captured by the Indians and, after 
their transportation from Chicago to Peoria and from 
Peoria to Saint Louis, bought by Colonel O'Fallon and 
sent to the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville) to Samuel 
Wells, are the following, all of which were brought to 
Chicago by the Hon. Darius Heald, exhibited to his rela- 
tives (the family of Gen. A. L. Chetlain), and their 
friends, and here reproduced. 

Captain Heald's sword. 

A shawl-pin he wore which, when recovered, had been bent to 
serve as a nose-ring. 

Part of his uniform coat, which seems to have been divided 
among his captors. 

Six silver table-spoons and one soup-ladle, each marked " N. R. 
H.," doubtless the wedding-present made by Colonel Samuel Wells 
to Nathan and Rebekah Heald. 

A hair brooch marked " S. W.," supposed to contain the hair of 
Samuel Wells. 

A finger-ring marked " R. W." (Probably one of the girlish 
treasures of Rebekah Wells.) 

A fine tortoise-shell comb, cut somewhat in the shape of an 
eagle's beak and having silver ornaments representing the bird's 
eye, nostril, etc. 

Mr. Went worth further says : 

In the biographical sketches of the members of the Corinthian 
Lodge of Masons, at Concord, Mass. , I find the following : 




DARIl" UKAI.D. Willi ->\VOKl> \M''>iill K MA>-\CJ<1 I<:1I1^^^. 



180 mn CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

Nathan Heald, initiated in 1797, died at Stocklaud (now O'Fal- 
lon) in St. Charles County, Missouri, where he had resided some 
years, in 1832, aged 57 years. He was born in Ipswich, N. H., Sep- 
tember 29, 1775^ was the third son of Colonel Thomas and Sybel 
(Adams) Heald and in early life joined the U. S. Army. Mrs. 
Maria (Heald) Kdwards, of this city, born at Ipswich, N. H., in 
1803, mother of Mrs. General Chetlain, was the eldest child of his 
brother, Hon. Thomas Heald, one of the Associate Judges of the 
Supreme Court of Alabama, (Fergus' Hist. Series No. 16.) 

A considerable part of Captain Heald' s first report of 
the massacre appears in our old friend Niles' Weekly Reg- 
ister, Nov. 7, 181 2. (I have quoted it, to a great extent, 
in connection with the story of the event.) 

Extract of a letter from Captain Heald, late commandant at 
Fort Chicago, dated at Pittsburg, October 23, 181 2 : 

On the 9th of August. I received orders from General Hull to 
evacuate the post and proceed with my command to Detroit, by 
land, leaving it at my discretion to dispose of the public property 
as I thought proper. The neighboring Indians got the information 
as soon as I did, and came in from all quarters to receive goods in 
the factory-store, which they understood were to be given to them. 
On the 13th, Captain Wells, of Fort Wayne, arrived with about 
thirty Miamis, for the purpose of escorting us in, by request of 
General Hull. On the 14th I delivered to the Indians all the goods 
of the factory-store, and a considerable quantity of provisions 
which we could not take with us. The surplus arms and ammuni- 
tion I thought proper to destrc y, fearing they would make bad use 
of it, if put in their possession. I also destroyed all liquor on hand 
soon after they began to collect. 

The collection was unusually large for that place, but they con- 
ducted with the strictest propriety until after I left the fort. On the 
15th, at 9 A. M , we commenced our march. A part of the Miamis 
were detached in front, the remainder in our rear, as guards, under 
the direction of Captain Wells. The situation of the country 
rendered it necessary for us to take the beach, with the lake on our 
left and a high sand-bank on our right at about one hundred yards 
distance. We had proceeded about a mile and a half when it was 
discovered that the Indians w^ere prepared to attack us from behind 
the bank. I immediately marched up, wnth the company, to the 
top of the bank, when the action commenced; after firing one 
round we charged, and the Indians gave way in front and joined 
those on our flanks. In about fifteen minutes they got possession 
of all our horses, provisions, and baggage of every description, 
and, finding the Miamis did not assist us, I drew^ off the men I had 
left and took possession of a small elevation in the open prairie, 
out of shot of the bank or any other cover. The Indians did not 
follow me but assembled in a body on the top of the baiik, and 
after some private consultation among themselves, made signs for 
me to approach them. I advanced toward them alone and was met 
by one of the Pottowatomie chiefs called Black-bird, with an inter- 



aimm:ni)ix k: \vi:i.i,s ani) ni;Ai.i» i AMii.ir.s. 1^1 

DuUr Atur sliakiiin haii.ls. lu- rcMjuisU .1 im- to surretidcr. prom 
isiuK U> spare- llu- lives of all tho i.risu,ur>. On a liw inouu nN 
consi.kTaticn I coiulu.U-.l it u..ul.l lu- n.usl i.tu.k-iU lo cotni'ly x\>H» 
his iv<|iK-sl. aUhouKh I <li«l ""I I'Mt ^''li'^' i"iil..li!u-f in lus promise. 
■Mtcr (UlivrriuK tip our arms nm- wi ri- lakii. bai k lo lliiir cncamp- 
mciU iK-.ir llu- tort, and .lisitil.uti-.l auwiiK H»«- .l.fT.trijt inU-s. 

TlR'iuxl morniti.u Hu-y sit fin- to tin- lo.t ami Ult Ihc place, 
takiif llu- prisoiurs ^^^\h thctn. Tlu-ir numl.ir of warnorn wM 
bctwiHM lour an.l live huu.lrr.l. nu.slly from llu- rottowalomic 
nation, au.i lluir loss, from tin- l.tsl inforn.ation I louM k* t. ^^«s 
about tiftrcn. Our strength Nvas about liltvlonr rrKi'l'TH ami 
IvNclve uulili a out of Nvhieb twenty-six rcKulars ami all the tmliUa 
wero killcl in llu- action, with two wonun an<l twt-lvi- ihiMri-n. 
Fnsi.rn (ki.rm- R.Hian aiul Dr. Isaac Van Voorhis of my company. 
with""c.iplain Wells of iM.rt WaN uc. to my k»^-^«« sorr<»w. art- nuni- 
bcrc.l a.non-thccka.l. Lieutenant Linai T. Helm, with twenty- 
five uon-commissione.l ofiicers and privates an.l eleven women and 
chiMren. were prisoners when we sei)arated. , . .. • c. 

Mrs Heald and mvself were taken to the mouth of the river St. 
Joseph and. being b<»th badlv wounded, were permitted to resi.le 
with >ir. r.urnett, an Indian trader. In a few days after our arrival 
there the In.hans went olfto lake P.-rl Wavne. and in their 
absence I eu^a-^ed a l-reuclunan to take us to M.rhilimackinac by 
water v^ here" I -ave mvself up as a prisoner of war with one of my 
TerJe^nts. Th? commandin.i oflicer. Captain Robert^. ofTere. me 
everv assistan<e in his power to render our Mluatieii comfortable 
while we reniaine<l there, an.l to enable us to proceed on our jour- 
ney To him I gave my parole of honor, an.l came t.. Detroit and 
reported mvself to Colonel Proctor, who gave us a passage t.. Huf- 
falo. from'that place I came ^>> •^v^^v of lYesciue-Isle. and a^^^^^^^^^ 
here yesterday. Nathan Hkald. 

The following letter from Captain Hcal.l. wrilteii three 
years after taking up his residence in Missouri, speaks 
for itself: 

St. Charles, Mi.ssouri Territory, May iSth. 1S20. 

Sir—I had tlie honor of receiving your letter of the 
-zothof March, a few da vs since. The garrison at Chi- 
cago commanded bv me at the time I)ctr..it was sur- 
reitdered bv General Hull. %vere every man paid up to 
the 30th of June, 1S12. inclusive, officers' subsistence and 

forage included. 

The last i)avment embraced nine niontli>, ami was 
made bv mvself as the agent of Mr. ICastman. l)Ut I cannot 
sav what the amount was. I'very paper relative to tliat 
transaction was soon after h.st. I am. however, confident 
that there was no deposit witli me to pay the garrison lor 
the three months subsequent to the 30th of June, ii>i2. 



182 TH^ CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

The receipt-rolls which I had taken from Mr. Eastman, 
together with the balance of money in my hands, fell into 
the hands of the Indians on the 15th of August, 1812, 
when the troops under my command were defeated near- 
Chicago; what became of them afterwards I know not. I 
have no papers in my possession relative to that garrison, 
excepting one muster-roll for the month of May, 181 2! 
By it I find that the garrison there consisted of one cap- 
tain, one 2nd lieutenant, one ensign, one surgeon's mate, 
four sergeants, two corporals, four musicians and forty- 
one privates. I cannot determine what the strength of 
the garrison was at any other time during the years 181 1 
and 1812, but it was on the decline. Monthly returns 
were regularly submitted to the Adjutant and Inspector- 
General's office, at Washington City, which, I suppose, 
can be found at any time. 

I am respectfully, sir, your most obedient servant, 
Peter Hagner, Esq., ") Nathan Heai.d, 

3rd Auditor's Office, Treasury 
Department, Washington City. 



This brings up to the mind of every officer the terrors 
of the ' 'Auditors of the Treasury. ' ' Not victory or defeat, 
not wounds or even death— nay, not old Time himself 
can clear a soldier from the terrible ordeal of the "Ac- 
counting Department." Poor Heald had evidently been 
asked: "Where is the money which was in your hands 
before the savages surrounded you, slaughtered your 
troops, wounded yourself and your wife, massacred the 
civilians under your care, tortured to death your wounded 
and burned your fort ? " At the same time the ordnance 
bureau doubtless asked what had become of the arms, 
ammunition, accoutrements and cooking utensils ; the 
commissary bureau asked after the stores and the quarter- 
master's bureau after the equippage. Scores of thousands 
of volunteer officers in the Union war found to their cost 
that their fighting was the only thing which the War De- 
partment kept no record of; that their account-keeping 
and reporting was what must be most carefully looked 
after if they would free themselves, their heirs, executors 
and assigns, from imperishable obligations. For the gov- 



AIM'KNDIX !•:: WKLLS AND IIKAI.D 1AM II. IKS. 



1S3 



crinncnl knows no ".slalulc of liniilalions" — lakes no 
acconnt of tlu- lapse of lime any more than does Nalnrc in 
her operations. "Contra rei;em lempns non occnrret." 
Yet, ])ara(loxical as it may seem, this is ri^lit. If all 
men were honest, "red tape" conid l>c done away witli ; 
hut as men are, indi\ idn. 1 acc()nntal)ility is indisjK-nsahle. 
W'illiont it. tile army mij^lit fall into ne>;li^enee leadinj; 
to corrnjUion, instead of heinj^, as it is, the vc-ry exam]»le 
of admini^trational honor and ])rol)ity. 



It so happens that the death of Mi>. Maria (Ilcald) 
Edwards, neice of Cai)tain Nathan lieald and mother of 
Mrs. General Chetlain. is annonnced after the al)ove 
matter had been pnt in print. vSlie died on Ma\ T), iSiy-^, 
at the residence of ("ienernl Chetlain in this ritw nt the 
ripe age of ninety years. 

It stirs the heart to think that, almost np to this very 
day, there was living among ns so near a relative to the 
gallant and nnfortnnate captain ; a woman who was a 
girl nine years old when her nncle passed throngh the 
direful ordeal. 





MASSACRE TRER AND TART OF PULLMAN HOUSE. 



184 



.\i'i'i:xT)ix v. 



THi: HONKS or JOHN I.AI.IMi:.— SlMlSTANCK OF A PAIT.R RKAD 
HY JOSKPH KIKKI.ANI) HKroKI-; THi: CMICAT.O IlISTOklCAl. 
SOCIKTV, ON Till'. OCCASION OF TIIK PKKSr.NTATlON Tn Till: 
S0CI1:TV Ol" CI'.KTAIN Hl'MAN K III.ICS. JII.V 21, I*^9l. 




furs in exchano:e. 



OMIv oiniiioiis threaten- 
cnin«;s were* heard at old 
I''l. Dearborn before the 
Inirstingof the storm of 
*;ust 15. I Si J. Among 
Ihem was the killing »jf the 
interpreter for the govern- 
ment, John Lalime. 

John Kinzie arrived at 
Fort Dearborn in 1804. and 
with his family occupied a 
house built of scjuared logs, 
which, u]i lo about 1840, 
stood wliere the corner of 
Cass and Kinzie streets now 
is. He was an Indian-tra- 
der, furnishing what the 
savages desired and taking 
The government also had an Indian 



agent, or trader, there. 

Various circumstances tend to show that before 1.S12 
consideiable rivalry existed between the go\erninent fur- 
trading agency and the civilian dealers. The former had 
certain advantages in tlie cheapness of purchase and 
transportation, but were restricted as to .selling liquor. 
The latter were nominally under the .same restriction, but 
practically free, and the Indians, like other dipsoma- 
niacs, hated every man who tried to restrain their drink- 
ing. The short-sighted savages mistook their friends for 



186 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



their enemies, their enemies for their friends. They 
loved the poison and the poisoner. 

Mrs. Kinzie, in Wau-Bun, says that there were two 

factions in the garrison, 
the Kinzies sympathizing 
with the opposition. Also 
that, though the garrison 
was massacred, no Kinzie 
was injured, the immuni- 
ty extending even to Lieu- 
tenant Linai T. Helm, w^ho 
had married Mr. Kinzie' s 
step-daughter. Also that 
while the fort was burned, 
theKinziemansionw^as left 
untouched, and remained 
standing up to within the 
memory of living men. 

For several years before 
1812, John Lalime, a 
P'renchman, had been the 
government's salaried in- 
terpreter at Fort Dear- 
born. The earliest men- 
tion of the name occurs in 
a letter written from St. 
Joseph by William Bur- 
nett to his Detroit corre- 
spondent, which begins 
with the words: "When 
Mr. Lalime w^as in Detroit 
last you was pleased to 
tell him that if I should 
want anything at your 
house, it should be at my 
service." The next intelli- 
gence about him is in two 
letters he wrote concern- 
ing Indian matters. The 
first was to Wm. Clark, 
Governor of Missouri, and 
reads as follows: 




ON 

00 



>, 
»— 1 

4-1 

<v 

o 

o 
(/J 

ca 
o 
•*« 
u 
o 






-a 

(LI 

a 

V 

(fi 

<u 
u 

O. 

a 

c8 



\0 

CM 



p. 
< 

V 

+-> 
u 

a 
s 

m 

U 

'c5 
6 



Al'l'l-NDIX !•: JOHN' I.Al.I.MH. 187 

CiiRAt.n. 2'»lh May, iSii. 
SiK — All liuli.iii fmiii the I'eiirias passctl Iilm- yistiT<hiy aiitl \\a» 
givi 11 Mil- iiilormalioii tli.il thv Iiulians alxmt that jilact- have liccii 
al)(>ul ihf Mttkiiuiits of Ka^kasia ami X'iiMiMitHs ami havr •%lolril 
Irom lifurii lo luLiity hi)isvs. It apiK-ars l»y llif iiitormalioii j^ivcii 
me that [\\c principal arlois arc iwo hiolhers of the wife of Main 
Poc. He is resitliii)^ on the I'eoria, or a little above it, at a pace 
thcv call "Prairii- «ln Corhcan " Hy the express ^oin^ to I'ort 
Wayne 1 will coinnninii ate this to the aj^cnt. I presume, sir, that 
von will conunnnicate this to the (ioveriifir of Kaskasia and Geu- 
eral Harri^on. 1 am sir, with respect, 

V'r iritli -V i \ i, 

J. La 1,1 ME, 

The second letter is the one nictitioiietl in liie first. It 
is written to John Jolinson, I'nited States factor at T'ort 
Wayne, dated Jnly 7th, tSt t. nif] reads as folUnv^ : 

Since mv last to von we have ik w-> of other <lepritialions aiul 
mnrders committed ahont the settlement of Cahokia, The first 
news we received was that the brother-in-law of Main Poc went 
down an»l stole a nnmbcr of horses. Second, another party went 
do\>n. stole some horses, killed a man and took otT .1 yonn^ woman, 
bnt they bein'LC pnrsned were oblij^ed to leave lier to save them- 
selves. Thinl,rthey have been there and killed and destroyed a 
whole family. The canse of it in part is from the Little Chief that 
came last fall to see Governor Harrison nnder the fei.yne<l name of 
Wapepa. He told the Indians that he had told the j^overnor that 
the Americans were settling on their lands, and asked hitn what 
shonld be done with them. He told the Indians that the Governor 
had told him they were bail people. 

We observe that the Peoria chief. Main Poc. is men- 
tioned as blamewortlu for these wronj^s. It may be in- 
teresting to know Main Poc's side of the qnestion. Said 
he : 

You astonish me with your talk! Whenever you do wrong there 
is nothing ?aid or done; bnt when we do anything you iinintdiitely 
take us and tie us by the neck with a rope. Vou say. what will )>e- 
come of our women and children if there is war? On the other 
hand, what will become of your women and chihiren ? It is Ix-st to 
avoid war. 

Lalime's letters show that he was a man of ability 
and education. We also j^^ness. from a clause in Article 
III of the treaty of 1S21. that Lalime lived after the man- 
ner of those days, and left at least one half-breed child. 
The clause reserves a half-section of land for "John 1^ 
Lalime, son of *' Noke-no-ciua." 

Miss Noke-no ([ua is not otherwise ktunvn to history. 



188 



THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



The next knowledge we have of Lalime relates to his 
violent death in the spring of 1812, about five months 
before the massacre, at a point on the south bank of the 
river within a stone's throw of where is now the south 
end of Rush Street bridge. 

In a letter written by the lamented Gurdon Hubbard 
to John Wentworth, June 25th, 1881, we read : 

As regards the unfortunate killing of ^Ir. Lalinie by Mr. John 
Kinzie, I have heard the account of it related by Mrs. Kinzi? and 




GURDON SALTONSTALL HUBBARD. (Last picture taken of him.) 

her daughter, Mrs. Helm. Mr. Kinzie never, in my hearing, 
alluded to or spoke of it. He deeply regretted the act. Knowing 
his aversion to conversing on the subject, I never spoke to him 
about it. 



APPENDIX I': John- i.aj.i.mk. ISO 

Mrs. Kiiizie said lliat lur hushaml an.l Lalimr hail (ar Kcvtral 
years been on iinrritiidly Uriiis. atul lia<l had fnciiunl allcnatiuns; 
that at tlic time of the encounlir Mr. Kiiizie had cro>sf<l ihc river 
alone, in a canoe. K<^'"K ^" ^'>*^* f"rt, and that Lalinie met him out- 
side the j^arrison an<l sliot him, the hall rnttiti)^ theside of liisnrik. 
She snpposed that Lalime saw her hnshand crossinvr, and takin^^ 
his pistol went thronj^h tlie ^ate purposely to meet him. Mr. Kin- 
zie, closinj^ with Lalinie, stabbed him and relnrned to the hoii- 
covered with blood. He told his wife what he had done, that he- 
feared he hatl killed Lalime, and ])robably a scjuad would l»e sent 
for him and that he must hide. She, in haste, to k bandajjes antl 
with him retreated to the woods, where as soon as possible -' ■ 
dres.sed hiswoumls, relurninj.^ just in time to meet an otlicer %\;:.. 
a squad with orders to sieze her husband. He could not Ix.* foun<l. 
For several days he was hid in the bush and care<l for by his wife. 

Lalime was, I ut'.derstand, an educate<l man, and quite a favorite 
with the olVicers, who were greatly e.xciteil. They decided he 
should be buried near Kinzie's house, in plain view from his fr<»nt 
door and ])iazza. The grave was enclosecl in a picket fence, which 
Mr. Kinzie, in his lifetime, kept in perfect order. My impression 
has ever been that Mr. Kin/.ie acted, as he told his wit'e. in self-de- 
fence. This is borne out by the fact that, after a full investigation 
by the otlicers, whose friend the decease<l was, they acquitted Mr. 
Kinzie. who then returned to his family. 

In some of these deti*ils I may be in error, but the fact has 
always been firm in my mind that Lalime made the attack, provok- 
ing the kiding, in sell-defence. Mr. Kinzie deeply regretted the 
result, and avoided any reference to it. Yours, 

G. S. Hi BB.\RD. 

Mr. Hubbard does not say he remembers having seen 
tlie grave. He did not come to Chicago to live until 
1836. Judge Blodgett, as we shall see hereafter, describes 
its position as not on the river bank, btit back in the 
timber. 

A somewhat different account of the affair was given 
by Mrs. Portier (Victoire Mirandcau.) and printed in 
Captain Andreas' History of Chicago, \'ol. II, page 105. 

My sister ^Lideline ami I saw the fight between John Kinzie an«l 
Lalime, when Lalime was killed. It was sunset, wlien they used to 
shut the gates of the fort. Kin/ie and Lalime came out together, 
and soon we heard Lieuten.int Helm call out for Mr. Kin/ielol' ■ 
out for Lalime, as he had a pi>tol. Quick we saw the men C' : 
together. We heard the pistol go off and saw the smr^ke. Then 
they fell down together. I «lou't know as Lalinje got up at all, but 
Kinzie got home pretty quick. BU>od was running from hi^ '• 
der, where Lalime had siiot him. In the night he packed u; 
things and mv father took him to Milwaukee, where he stayed un- 
til his shoulder got well and he found he wouhl not be troubled if 
he came back. You see, Kinzie wasn't to blame at all. He didn t 



190 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

have any pistol nor knife — nothing. After Lalinie shot him and 
Kinzie got his arms around him, he (Ivalime) pulled out his dirk, 
and as they fell he was stabbed with his own knife. That is what 
they all said. I didn't see the knife at all. I don't remember 
where Lalime was buried. I don't think his grave was very near 
Kinzie's house. I don't remember that INIr. Kinzie ever took care 
of the grave. That is all I know about it. I don't know what the 
quarrel was about. It was an old one — business, I guess. 

This bears all the thumb-marks of truth. It comes at 
first hand from a disinterested eye-witness. Even if we 
suppose Mrs. Kinzie to have seen the aifra}^ which she 
does not say, it was doubtless from the opposite side of 
the river, while Victoire and her sister were in the fort 
itself. No other account, direct from an eye-witness, has 
ever been published. 

Now, without pretending to certainty, it strikes me as 
probable that up to this time Kinzie stood on the Indian 
side of the irrepressible conflict between white men and 
red men, while the army and Ivalime took the other. 
Mrs. Helm's narrative in Wau-Bun is decidedly hostile to 
the good sense of the commandant of the fort, and even to 
the courage of some of his faithful subordinates, while 
obviously friendly to the mutinous element in his com- 
mand. Therefore it seems to me quite likely that La- 
lime's crazy attack on Kinzie was not entirely discon- 
nected with that irrepressible conflict, that this long- 
standing quarrel had more than appears on the surface to 
do with the admitted success of Kinzie's trade and the 
w^ell-known unprofitableness of the business carried on by 
the government agency. 

On April 29th, 1S91, there was unearthed at the south- 
west corner of Cass and Illinois streets, a skeleton. 
Workmen were digging a cellar there for a large new 
building, and were startled by having the shovel stopped 
by a skull, wherein its edge made a slight abrasion. Fur- 
ther examination brought to light some spinal vertebrae, 
some fragments of ribs, some remains of shoulder-blades 
and pelvis-bones, some bones of the upper and lower arms 
and the hip-bones, besides two bones of the lower part of 
one leg; also fragments, nearly crumbled away, of a rude 
pine coffin. The rumor of the discovery spread through 
the neighborhood, and hickily reached the ears of Mr. 
Scott Fergus, son of the veteran printer, Robert Fergus, 



All'ENDlx K: JOHN LALIMK. TU 

whose cstablisliiiicul . stands w illiiii ten Icct ui llic place 
where these relics of niortalit} had so long lain unno- 
ticed. 

Mr. rVrgiis at once tried to save and collect the i)ones, 
and findingsonie disposition on the i)art of the lalK^rer.sto 
disregard his re([uests, he rang for the pijlice i)atrol 
wagon, which bundled the little lot into a soap-box and 
carried them to the Kast Ciiicago Avenue station. 

I was out of town at this time and did not hear of th<- 
interesting occurrence until Mr. Fergus told me of it 
upon my return, about a month later. I then went to the 
station, only to learn that the bones, being unclaimed, 
had been sent in the patrol-wagon to the morgue at the 
County Hospital, on the West vSide. However, on look- 
ing up the officer who carried them over, he freely and 
kindly offered to try to re laim them, and have them de- 
livered to the Hi.storical Society. The morgue officials, 
after a few days, at a merely nominal expen.se, complied 
with the request, and they are now here. Was this, is 
this the skeleton of John Lalime ? 

The place where the bones were found is within a 
stone's throw of the exact spot indicated by Cairdon Hub- 
bard as the place where the picket fence marked the 
grave, "two hundred yards west of the Kinzie house." 

Dr. Arthur B. Hosmer, and Dr. Otto Freer, who have 
examined the relics indq^endently of each other, ami 
assisted me in arranging them in human .semblance, con- 
sider them to be the skeleton of a slender white man, 
about five feet and four inches in height. 

The color, consistency and general conditions indicate 
that they had lain in the ground (dry sand) for a very 
long time, reaching probably or possibly the seventy-nine 
years which have elapsed since Lalime's death. 

Now, admitting their expert judgment to be correct. 
this man died not far from 1S12. At that time there liad 
not and never had been in all these parts more than some 
fifty to one hundred white men, nearly all of whom were 
soldiers, living in the fort and subject to burial in the 
fort burying-ground, adjoining the present site of Michi- 
gan Avenue and Randolph street. At a later date, say 
fifty years ago, isolated burials were not uncommon, but 
even then they could scarcely have occurred in so public 



192 THK CHICAGO MASSACRK OF lSl2. 

a Spot as the north bank cf the river, close to the docks 
and warehouses which had been by that time built there. 

John C. Haines, Fernando Jones and others remember 
perfectly the existence of that lonely little fenced enclos- 
ure, and even that it was said to mark the resting-place 
of a man killed in a fight. They and all others agree that 
no other burials were made thereabouts, so far as known. 
Another point, favorable or otherwise to this identifica- 
tion, is the fact that the place where the skeleton was 
found is the lot whereon stood the first St. James Church, 
and that the attendants there, as I was informed by one 
of them, Mr. Ezra McCagg, never heard of any burial 
as having taken place in the church-yard. 

On the other hand, Mr. Hubbard designates "the river 
bank" as the place of burial, and the memory of Mr. Fer- 
nando Jones is to the effect that the fenced enclosure was 
nearer to the place of Rush Street bridge than is the spot 
of finding. 

But in contradiction to this view. Judge Blodgett tells 
me that he was here in 1831 and 1832, which was several 
years before either Mr. Jones or Mr. Haines, and before 
Mr, Hubbard came here to live, he being then trading at 
Danville. The Judge adds that with the Beaubien and 
Laframboise boys he paddled canoes on the creek, played 
in the old Kinzie log-house and wandered all about the 
numerous paths that ran along the river bank, and back 
into the thick, tangled underbrush which filled the woods, 
covering almost all the North Side west of the shore sand- 
hills. He says that one path over which they traveled back 
and forth ran from the old house west to the forks of the 
river, passing north of the old Agency house — "Cobweb 
Castle" — which stood near the northeast corner of Kin- 
zie and State Streets. Also that from that path behind 
Cobweb Castle the boys pointed further north to where 
they said there was a grave where the man was buried 
whom Jonn Kinzie had killed, but they never went out 
to that spot, and so far as he remembered he never saw 
the grave. A kind of awe kept him quite clear of that 
place. All he knows is that it was somewhere out in the 
brush behind the Agency house. 

This seems to locate the grave as nearly as possible at 
the corner of Illinois and Cass streets, where these relics 



APPENDIX V: JOHN T.AI.IMi:. l*^'^ 

were found. I'Vniaiulo Jmics sugj;csts that even ii ihc 
grave was originally elsewhere, the remains nuK'hl have 
got into the church lot in this way: In iS.^j Robert 
Kinzie entered and subdivided Kin/.ie's Addition, boun- 
ded by Chica.i^o Avenue on the north, the lake on the 
east, kinzie vStreet on the south and State Street on the 
west, and gradually he and his brother John sold the 
lots. In iS;^5 they gave the St. James vSociety the two 
lots where the church was built and wherein this skele- 
ton was found. What more likely than that on selling 
the lot whereon the original interment took place (sup- 
posing it to be other than where the bones were un- 
earthed) the sellers were compelled, either by the Iniyer's 
stipulation or their own sense of duty to their father's 
manifest wishes, to find a new place for the colVin of poor 
Lalime, and thereupon selected the spare ro(»m in the new 
church-yard ? 

It is worthy of note, that as, with the skeleton, were 
found the remains of a coffin — a single bit of i)ine board, 
showing the well-known "shoulder angle," though de- 
cayed so that only a crumbling strip half an inch thick 
was left — this could not have been a secret interment, made 
to conceal the death of a man. It would seem utterly im- 
probable that two men's bodies should have been coffined 
and buried within the little space of ground, in the few- 
years of time pointed out by all these circumstances. We 
learn that Lalime was so buried; also that, so far as 
known, all other excavations thereabouts have failed to 
expose his remains; also that these relics have now come 
to light. Everyone must draw his own conclusion. I 
have drawn mine. If it be erroneous, this exploitation 
of the subject will be likely to bring out the truth. 



LETTKK rUOM l-KRN.VNDt) JONKS. 

Cnir^t.t). Juh- joth. ist<i. 
Joseph Kiricland, I':soiirk: 

Dear Sir— In answer to vour inquiry a.s to any incidents com- 
ing to mv knowledi^e as to 'the ^rnve of John J.alinie, who was 
buried near the mouth of the Chicago River in the year 1812, I fur- 
nish the following statement: 



194 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2 = 

Wheu I arrived iu Chicago, on my sixteenth birthday, May 26th, 
1835, I landed on the north side of the present river, near its mouth, 
very near to the old John Kinzie homestead. I was escorted to the 
historic Cobweb Castle and the Dearborn Street bridge by the chil- 
dren of an old friend of my father's, Samuel Jackson, who was em- 
ployed upon the north pier harbor work, and who had been an old 
neighbor in Buffalo, New York, where he had also been employed 
upon the government harbor. The little boy, Ezra, and the girl, 
Abigail, pointed out a grave situated a little to the north of our 
path and several hundred feet west of the Kinzie house. The grave 
was surrounded by a neat white picket fence. I passed it many 
times afterward, during that and the succeeding summer, and often 
visited it with children about my own age. The historj' of this 
lonely grave, as detailed by them, gave it a peculiar fascination to 
me, and to them, and to others who saw it. I recall now, after an 
interval of mere than half a century, 1 number of persons who vis- 
ited this grave with me, among whom were the Indian wife of Cap- 
tain Jamison; the wife of Lieut. Thompson, a half-breed woman; 
Virginia Baxley, daughter of Captain Baxley, of the fort; Pierre 
Laframboise, son of a chief and interpreter; Alexander Beaubien, 
son of a trader, and John C. Haines, who was also a clerk near me 
on vSouth Water Street. 

The tradition in regard to this grave was that it was the last rest- 
ing-place of a Frenchman named Lalime, who was government in- 
terpreter at the fort, and who was killed in an encounter with the 
old Indian-trader, John Kinzie. It was said that the officers of the 
garrison had the body buried in sight of Mr. Kinzie's house in re- 
sentment for his murder. But it seems that old Mr. Kinzie took 
the sting from this reproach by carefully tending the spot during 
his lifetime, and his son, John H. Kinzie, continued the same care 
over it. 

Soon after the erection ot St. James Episcopal Church, about the 
year 1838, a grave was noticed on the north side of the lot and in 
the rear of the church, which was sitnated on the southwest corner 
of Cass and Illinois Streets, and opposite the new house of John 
H. Kinzie. The lot upon which the Frenchman was buried had been 
sold by Mr. John H. Kinzie, and was built upon, and Mr. Kinzie 
had given the lot upon the corner for the church. Mr. Alonzo C. 
Wood, the builder of the church, who still survives, informs me 
that the grave appeared there mysteriously, and his remembrance 
is that the Rev. Mr, Hallam, the priest in charge, informed him 
that the remains were placed there by the direction of Mr. Kinzie, 
or Mrs. Kinzie, but he has no further distinct recollection in regard 
to it. I, myself, never mentioned the subject to Mr. John H. Kin- 
zie, but remember a conversation with his brother, Robert A. Kin- 
zie, U. S. Paymaster, in which he expressed satisfaction that his 
brother had taken care of the bones of poor Lalime. It was under- 
stood by the few conversant with the history of Lalime's death that 
both the elder Kinzie and his son, John H., were averse to speaking 
of the matter, but "Bob" was very like an Indian, aud not at all 
reticent on the question, and that the legend among those who took 
any interest in the matter has always been that this solitary grave 



APPENDIX !•: JOHN I.AMMIC. U^') 

in the church-yard was the j^ravc of the "little I'Venchman" whc 
was first hurifd near the spot. I'nder tlu- cirtuinstances, it is not 
stranj^e that the removal should li.aM- hitii «|nii-tl\' ni.idi-. and I have 
little doubt in uiy own iiiindlhat the tradition is correct. 

Very sincerely yours, 

Fkhnando Jones. 



LETTER FROM THE HON. J. C. HAINES. 

Chicago, isjuly. 1891. 

M.\JOR J. KiRKLAND : 

Without very definite recollection as to just where the ^rave of 
John Laliuie stood in 1835, when I came to Chicago, I can sav that 
I knew of its existence and have an impression it stood in St. James' 
Church lot, corner of Cass and Michigan Streets. 

John C. Haines. 



DR. HOSMER'S letter. 

108 Pine Street, Chicago, i 
July II, 1893. J 
The bones shown me at this date at the Cliicago Historical So- 
ciety, constitute the major portion of a human skeleton — that of an 
adult white male of slender build and about live feet four to five 
inches in height. There is evidence of a partial or complete frac- 
ture of the left femur, at some time in his life, thoroughly repaired 
and with some permanent thickening of the l)one. 

Judging by the color, weight and rotten condition of the bones, 
I believe that they have been in the ground (supposing it to be 
sandy and above water-level) at least sixty (60) but not to exceed 
one hundred {100) years. 

A. B. HOSMER, M. D. 



DR. FREER'S LETTER. 



The skeleton shown me by Mr. Joseph Kirkland is without doubt 
of great age ami resembles in appearance fragments of others that 
have lain for many years in sandy soil. All animal matter has de- 
parted from the bones, leaving them very light and consisting of 
the mineral portions alone. 

The type of skeleton is that of a man of moderate stature and 
light build. The skull is that of a white man and of great sym- 
metry. The lower jaw is missing, but the upper ])erfect. barring loss 
of all teeth but one. The presence of the third molar's sockets 
speaks for the complete maturity of the man. It is impossible 
exactly to estimate the exact time that the skeleton has been in the 
ground, but its appearance would tally well with the eighty years 
it is supposed to have lain there. 

Dr O. T. Freer. 

July 20th, 1S91. 




THE LATE CALUMET CLUB-HOUSE. 



196 



Ari'i<;xi)ix (;. 



IMPORTANT RKMINlJ^CICNCIiS OI AJn « m.I ) Si:TTLKk (A. ii. 
KV)\VAKDS). — [iko.M "rOHT DJ- A RIW )K n' " ; FKRCirS* 
HISTORICAL SlvKII-S. NO. I 6. J 

Sm:i5()vr.AN (Wis.), May 24th, I'V)!, 
Hon. John Wfcntwoktu: 

Pear Sir — I have- had tlu' pleasure of rcadiiij^ your actounl ancl 
also the remarks of otliers in rej^.ird to Chicago and Illinois his- 
tory. I am ao(iuainled with smne lads deiived from convei'safion 
with one who was there, and witnessed the tij^ht and killing of 
many of those who lost their lives oti that inemorahle day. She 
was a dauj^hter of one of the soldiers, and was one of the chddren 
who, with her mother and sisters, occupied the w ij;ons, or convey- 
ances that was to convey them from the fort. She told me she saw 
her father when he fell, and also many others. Sl:e. with her 
mother and sisters, were taken prisoners anion^ the Indians for 
nearly two years, and were finally taken to Mackinac ami sold to 
the traders and sent to Detroit. On our arrival in I)etrf»it, in 1816. 
after the war, this j;irl was taken into our family, and was then 
about thirteen years old. and had l)een scalped. She said a young 
Indian came to the wat^on where she was and grahhed her by the 
hair and pulled her out of the wagon, and she fought him the best 
she knew how, scratching an«l biting, till finally he threw herdown 
and scalped her. She was so frightened she was not aware of it un- 
til the blood ran down her face. An old squaw interfered and pre- 
venttd her from being tomahawked by the Indian, she going with 
the squaw to her wigwam, and was taken care of and her head 
cured. This squaw was one that often came to their house. The 
bare spot on the top of the head was about the size of a silver dol- 
lar. She saw Caotain Wells killed, and told the same storv as re- 
lated in your pamphlet. 

Mv father was well acquainted with Cajitain Wells; was sta- 
tioned with him at Fort Wayne. Indiana, where I was l)orn. in 1S07, 
and he was surgeon of the post. My mother was a daughter of Col. 
Thomas Hunt ofthe Fifth Infantry. 

I think there must be a mistake as to the year the Kinzies re- 
turned to Chicago. INIy father and family arrived in Detroit in June. 
1816; the Kinzies were there then, and I was schoolmate of John. 
Robert, Ellen and ISIatia duiijig that year, antl I think they re- 
turned to Chicago in 1.S17. Mr. Kinzie went in the fall o( 1S16. and 
the family in the spring of 1S17. 

I was in Chicago in 1832 in the Black Hawk War time, as First 
Lieutenant of cavalry, from Michigan. The regiment was com- 
manded bv General Hart L. Stewart, now living in Chicago. 

197 



198 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

During the Black Hawk War, aud when in Chicago, we heard 
of the kilhng of the Hall family and the carrying off of the two 
girls. Our company camped that night at the mouth of the Little 
Calumet, and next morning went into Chicago, and the fort was 
occupied by women and children of the surrounding country 

Then I saw for the last time my schoolmate, R. A. Kinzie. My 
brother. Col. L. A. H. Edw^ards, was in command of the fort after 
we left, and had a Cass County regiment of military from Michi- 
gan. We met him on our return at Door Prairie. He remained 
there until the arrival of Major Whistler, in June, 1832; he retired 
from the fort before the landing of any of the U. S. troops, on ac- 
count of cholera being among them, and he wished to avoid any 
contact with them on that account. His command camped on the 
prairie, about a mile from the fort, aud remained only a day or two. 
Fearing the cholera might get among his men, he left for home, as 
he saw they were not needed any longer, and was so informed by 
Major Whistler. 

Captain Anderson, Ensign Wallace and myself camped under 
the hospitable roof of General Beaubien, on the bank of the lake, 
not very far from the fort, who had kept the only house there. 
Mark Beaubien Jr. went into Chicago with us, he having joined us 
at Niles, on his way home from school. He was the son of the one 
called the fiddler. 

Our family lived in Detroit and were well acquainted with the 
Whistlers. My father. Major Edwards, was in Detroit at the sur- 
render of HiiU, as Surgeon-General of the Northwestern Army. He 
went from Ohio, and arriving in Detroit, received his appointment. 
Our family was then living in Dayton, Ohio. At the close of the 
war he resigned, and in 1816 removed to Detroit and was appointed 
sutler to all Northwestern posts — Fort Gratiot, Mackinac, Green 
Bay [Fort Howard], and Chicago [Fort Dearborn] — his books, 
now in my possession, showing his dealings with each of these 
stores, and all the officers mentioned in your paper. 

It is pleasant to note that at the disastrous fire at the 
Calumet Cltib, which occurred while these pages were 
preparing, the Beaubien fiddle and the Wells hatchet 
were saved. 



Sheboygan (Wis.), Jan. 10, 1881. 
Your letter of the 5th came to hand to-day. The person I named 

as being present at the massacre, was a daughter of Cooper,* one 

of the soldiers who was killed in the fight. Her account, as given 
to me, as also her mother's, was that as soon as all the soldiers were 
disposed of, the Indians made a rush for the wagons, where the 
women and children were. Her mother, and sister younger than 
herself, were taken from the wagon and carried away. A young 
Indian boy about fourteen or fifteen years old dragged her by the 
hair out of the wagon, and she bit and scratched him so badly that 

*"Johu Cooper, Surgeon's Mate,''' is found in the muster-roll shown on 
page 150. He also signed the certificate to the roll. 



APrivNDlX G: A. II. I-DWAKDS. !••■♦ 

hv filially scaljHd lur iiiul wouM liavr killc<l lici if an oi<l •-fjuaw 
had not i)rcvtiiU(l liiin. 1 think :.lu- niarricd a mat) hy the name 
of I'ariinni and livid many vcars in lAlr<»il. Ilcr niollur <hi-d there 
about the year ivS32. The sisters were livin>^' in Detroit in 1H2.S. I 
have since heard they were livinj.,' in Ma< kinac I d«» n<jt know the 
first name of Cool)er. lie was killed and the j^irl said she saw her 
father's seal]) in tlie hands of an Indian afterward. He had sandy 
hair. I think she said they were Scotch. Isabella ha«l children. 
The gill saiilshe saw \\\ Us wh«ii he fell from his h<.rs«-. and that 
his face was painted. What became of her sister I <lo not know, as 
I left Detroit in 1.S23, but my father and mother remained there un- 
til 1828. You will Veceive with this a statement written bv my 
father rcjj;arding himself, a short time before his death, which 
occurred in Octolar, i860, at Kalamazoo, Mich., where 
he had resided for many years. The statement will j^ive you 
all the information in regard to himself as well as who my 
mother was. Her father, Thomas Hunt, was aj)pointed a surKeon 
in the army directly after the balile of Hunker Hill, where he was 
brought into notice by an act of gallantry, then »)nly a Ixiy of fif- 
teen. He remained in the army until his death, in I^^'^S. in com- 
maudofhis regiment, at Bellcfontaine. Missouri. His sons and 
grandsons have been representatives in the army ever since. Cap- 
tain Thomas Hunt, mentioned in your letter, was a son, and the 
present (ieneral Henry J. Hunt, of the Artillery, and General Lewis 
C. Hunt, commanding the hourth Infantry, grandsons, whose 
father (my mother's brother) was Captain Samuel W. Hunt of the 
armv. 

Mv grandfather, Thomas Hunt, was a captain under Lafayette, 
and was wounded at Vorktown in storming a redoubt of the Brit- 
ish. Afterward he was with General Anthony Wayne in his cam- 
paign against the Indians, and was left in command of Fort Wayne 
as its first commander after the subjection of the Indians. 

A. H. KnwAKDs. 

For other extracts from this interesting paper see Ap- 
pendix K— "The Wells and Heald families." 



200 



THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OP l8l2. 



>, 



V 



^:\' 









I '' 'Vi 









mm/ . 

''''' ,i mil =£ 










APPKXDIX H. 



BILI.Y CALI>\VJ.LL, TIIK SAUGANASH. 




I lie Saiigaiiash had qualities, Rood and 
;>-^ bad, appcrtainiiii^ to each of his parent 
a races. He had fij^htino^ couraj^'^c and cool- 
ness in danger, he had ])hysical endurance, he 
had personal faithfulness to personal friends, 
he had a love of strong drink. There is now 
(1893) in this city, an accouni-bofik kejn which 
was at a Chicago grocery store in the thirties, 
wherein appear many charges reading: "One 
quart uhisky to B. Caldwell." The book is in possession 
of Julian Runisey, Esq., a re\ative of Mrs. Juliette 
(Magill) Kinzie, author of "Wau Bun." 

When the inevitable separation came, and the Indians, 
after a grand farewell war-dance (August 18, 1835),* de- 
parted on their migration toward the setting sun. Cald- 
well went with them, and died September 28, 1841. at 
Council Bluffs, Iowa. His old friend Mark Beaubien, 
had named after him the first and most noted of Chicago's 
real hotels, the "Sauganash," lovingly remembered by 
many of the "first families." 



Letti:r written by the Sauganash [Billy Caldwell] and 

Shabonee [Chambly]. 

Council Bluffs. March 23rd, 1840. 
To General Harrison's Friends: 

The other day several newspapers were broujjht to us; and peep- 
ing over them, to our astonishment we found that the hero of the 
late war was called a coward. This would have surprised the tall 
braves, Tecumseli, of the Shawnees, and R(nuid Head ami Walk- 
in-the-water of the late Tomahawkees. The first time we got ac- 
quainted with General Harrison, it was at the council fires of the 
late Old Tempest, General Wayne, on the headquarters of the 
Wabash at Greenville, 1796. From that time till iSi i we had many 
friendlv smokes with hitn; but from 1S12 we changed our tobacco 



♦See Appendix I. 



201 



202 



THK CHICAGO MASSACRK OP l8l2. 



smoke iuto powder smoke. Then we found that General Harrison 
was a brave warrior and humane to his prisoners, as reported to us 
by two of Tecumseh's young men, who were taken in the fleet with 
Captain Barclay on the loth of September, 1813, and on the Thames, 
where he routed both the red-men and the British, and where he 
showed his courage and his humanity to his prisoners, both white 
and red. See report of Adams Brown and family, taken on the 
morning of the battle. October 5th, 1813. We are the only two 
surviving of that day in this country. We hope the good white 
men will protect the name of General Harrison. 
We remain your friends forever. 

Chambi^ee [Shabonee], Aid to Tecumseh. 





me-tee-a; a signer of the treaty of 1821. 




Ari'i<:Ni)ix I 



fakkwi:li. war-daxck of thk Indians. 

ARLV ill 1^3;^ Indians to the inimbcr of fi\Q 
thousand or more, assembled at Chicago, around 
the fort, the village, the rivers and the portage, 
to treat for the sale of their entire remaining 
possessions in Illinois and Wisconsin. John 
Joseph Latrohe, in his " Rambles in North 
America," gives the following realistic sketch 
of the state of things hereabouts just sixty years ago: 

A mushroom town on the verge of a level country, crowded to 
its utmost capacity and beyond, a surrounding cloud of Indians 
encamped on the prairie, beneath the shtltcr of the woods, on the 
river-side or by the low sand-hills along tlie lake, companies of old 
warriers under every bush, smoking, arijuing, palavering, pow- 
wowing, with no apparent prospect of agreement. 

The negotiations dragged on for weeks and muiiths, 
for the Indians were slow to put an end to their jollifica- 
tion, an occasion when they were the gtiests of the 
Government, and fared sumptuously with nothing to 
pay. The treaty had still to be ratified by the senate 
before its provisions could be carried out and the settle- 
ment made. This took about two years. 

The money paid and the goods delivered, the Indians 
shook the dust off their feet and departed ; the dust shak- 
ing being literal, for once, as they joined, just before 
starting, in a final "war-dance." For this strange scene, 
we fortunately have as witness Ex- Chief Justice Caton. 
previously qtioted herein. He estimates the dancers at 
eight hundred, that being all the braves that could be 
mustered, out of the five thousand members then present 
of the departing tribes. The date was August i8th. 1S35. 
He says : 

They appreciated that it was their last on their native soil — that 
it was a sort of funeral ceremony of old associations and memories, 

203 



204 



THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 




oo 



H 
■J) 

O 
■p 
< 

< 

Q 
Z 

M 

a 

35 
H 

te. 
O 
X 

o 
Z 

Q 

J 
J 

a 

a 
< 



APPKXPTx t: i-AkE\vi:T.f. w ak-danck. 



20n 



and nothing' was (.iniUi«l lo lend il all llu- K'aiuliiir and solcinnity 
possibk-. They assciiihlcd at the Council Honsc (Northeast corner 
ofRnsh and Kinzic Streets). All were naked except a strip of 
cloth aronnd their loins. Their bodies were covered with a ^reat 
variety of hiilliant jiaints. On their faces ])articnlarly they seemed 
to have exhausted their art of hideous decoration. Foreheads, 
cheeks and noses were covered with curved strips of red or Ver- 
million, which were edged with Mack points, and K^'ve the appear- 
ance of a horrid <.,nin. The lonj<, coarse l)lack hair was gathered 
into scalp locks t)n the tops of their heads and decorated with a 
profusion of hawks' and eagles' feathers ; some strung together so 
as to reach nearlv to the ground. They were ])rinci]ially armed 
with tomahawks and war clubs. They were led by what answered 
for a band of music, which created a discordant din of hideous 
noises, produced by beating on hollow vessels and striking clubs 
and sticks together. They advanced Avith a continuous dance. 
Their actual progress was (juite slow. They proieeded up along 
the river on the North side, stopping in front of every house to 
perform some extra antics. They crossed the north branch on the 
old bri«lge. about Kin?ic vStreet, and proceeded south to the bridge 
w hich stood where Lake vStreet btidge is now, nearly in front of, and 
in full view from the Sauganash Hotel ("Wigwam" lot, Lake and 
INLirket Streets). A number of young married peo])le had rooms 
there. The ]xarlor was in the second story pointing west, from the 
windows of which the best view of the dancers was to be had and 
these were filled with ladies. 

The yotiiig- lawyer, afterward Chief Jtistice, had come 
to the West ill 1833, and less than a year before this had 
gone back to Oneida Connty, New York, and there 
married Miss Latira Sherrill. They were among the 
lookers-on from those upper windows, a crowd all inter- 
ested, many agitated and some really frightened at the 
thought of the passions and memories that must be in- 
flaming those savage breasts and that were making them 
the very picture of dciuoniac fury. 

Althongh the din and clatter had been heard for some time, 
they did not come into view from this point of observation till they 
had proceeded so far West (on the North side) as to come on a line 
with the house. All the way to the South Branch bridge came the 
wild band, which was in front as they eame upon the bridge, 
redoubling their blows, followed by the warriors who had now- 
wrought themselves into a perfect fury. 

The morning was very warm and the perspiration was pouring 
from them. Their countenances had assumed an expression of all 
the worst passions — fierce anger, terrible hate, dire revenge, re- 
morseless cruelty — all were expressed in their terrible features. 
Their tomahawks and clubs were thrown and brandished in every 
direction, and with every step and every gesture they uttered the 
most frightful yells. The dance consisted of leaps and spasmodic 



206 THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l^. 

steps, now forward, now back or sidewise, the whole body distorted 
into every imaginable position, most generally stooping forward 
with the head and face thrown up, the back arched down, first one 
foot thrown forward and withdrawn and the other similarly thrust 
out, frequently squatting quite to the ground, and all with a move- 
ment almost as quick as lightning. The yells and screams they 
uttered were broken up and multiplied and rendered all the more 
hideous by a rapid clapping of the mouth with the palm of the 
hand. When the head of the column reached the hotel, while they 
looked up at the windows at the ''Chemo-ko-man squaws," it 
seemed as if we had a picture of hell itself before us, and a carni- 
val of the damned spirits there confined. They paused in their 
progress, for extra exploits, in front of John T. Semple's house, 
near the northwest corner of Lake and Franklin Streets, and then 
again in front of the Tremont, on the northwest corner of lake and 
Dearborn Streets, where the appearance of ladies again in the win- 
dow again inspired them with new life and energy. Thence they 
proceeded down to Fort Dearborn, where we will take a final leave 
ofm}' old friends, with more good wishes for their final welfare 
than I really dare hope will be realized. 

The Indians were conveyed to the lands selected for 
them (and accepted b\' a deputation sent b}^ them in ad- 
vance of the treaty) in Clay County, Missouri, opposite 
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Missotirians were hos- 
tile to their new, strange neighbors, and two years later 
they were again moved, this time to a reservation in Iowa, 
near Council Bluffs. Once more the fate of the poor waif, 
"Move on, move on." was theirs, and then they halted 
in Kansas for many years. Their present condition has 
been already sketched. 

Judge Caton is an ardent, devoted friend of the Indians. 
He knew man}- of them personally, they having been his 
faithful companions — by night and da}-, in summer and 
winter — in htinting, which was the passion of his early 
years. Yet here, we observe, he says sadly, that his 
wishes for their welfare go bej^ond an}- confident hope be 
can feel. 



APPKXDIX K. 

THE BRONZE MEMORIAL GROUP. 

History places the scene of the Massacre adjacent to 
the shore of J^ake Michigan, between the present i6th 
and 2oth Streets. The Memorial Gronp, now (1893; 
newly erected, stands at the eastern extremity of i8th 
Street, overlooking the lake (nothing intervening save 
the right of way of the Illinois Central Railway); and is 
therefore in the midst of the battle-field. 

I think it well here to put in evidence unanswerable 
testimony as to the identity of the spot selected for the 
group with the place where the short and fatal struggle 
took place. Regarding it, Munsell's history observes : 

The attack, the charire, the subsequent advance, etc., seem all 
to point to about the spot where is now Highteenth Street ; and to 
the Massacre tree, a tall cottonwood, slill standing when these lines 
are penned (1S92), though dead since about five j-ears ago. 

For conclusive evidence of the identity of the tree and its trust- 
worthiness as marking the battle-field, see certificates of old citizens 
given on page 31, Vol. i, Andreas' History of Chicago. 

The letters quoted b}^ Captain Andreas are all from 
persons not only well-informed, but also of the highest 
social character and standing. They are as follows : 

Letter from Mrs. Henrv W. King. 

151 Rush Street, Chicago, ) 
January 25, 1S84. / 
A. T. Andreas, Esq. 

Dear sir: — I am very happy to tell 3'ou what I know about the 
tree in question, for I am anxious that its value as a relic should 
be appreciated by Chicago people, especially since the fire has ob- 
literated nearly every other object connected with our early history. 

Shortly before the death of my friend Mrs. John H. Kinzie, I 
called upon her and asked her to drive with me through the city and 
point out the various locations and points of interest that she knew 
were connected with the "early day" of Chicago, She said there 
were very few objects remaining, but localities she would be happy 
to show me. 

She appointed a day, but was not well enough to keep her ap- 
pointment ; went East soon after for her health and died within a 
few weeks. However, at this interview I mention, she said that to 

207 



208 THK CHICAGO MASSACRK OF l8l2. 

her the most interesting object in our city was the old Cottonwood 
tree that stands on Eighteenth Street, between I'rairie Avenue and 
the lake. She remarked that it, witli its fellows, were saplings at 
the time of the Indian Massacre, and that they marked the spot of 
that fearful occurrence ; though she was not sure but that the 
smaller one had either died or been cut down. I expressed surprise 
at the location, imagining that the massacre occurred further south, 
among the small sand-hills that we early settlers remember in the 
vicinity of Hyde Park. I remember that her answer to this was : 

"My child, you must understand that in 1812 there was no Chi- 
cago, and the distance between the old fort and Eighteenth Street 
was euorrnous." Said she: " My husband and his family always 
bore in mind the location of that massacre, and marked it by the 
Cottonwood trees, which, strange to say, have stood unharmed in 
the nn'ddle of the street to this day." 

The above facts I communicated to the Historical Society soon 
after Mrs. Kinzie's death, and believe through them was the means 
of preventing the cutting down of the old tree, which the citizens 
of the South Side had voted to be a nuisance. I sincerely hope 
something may be done to fence in and preserve so valuable a relic 
and reminder of one of the most sad and interesting events in the 
life of Chicago. 

Believe me, sir, yours most respectfully, 

Mrs. Henry W. King. 

Letter from Hon. Isaac N. Arnold. 

Chicago, January 25, 1884. 
Captain A. T. Andreas. 

Dear sir: — I have your note of this morning, asking me to 
state what I know relating to the massacre at Chicago in 1812. I 
came to Chicago in October, 1836 ; the Fort Dearborn reservation 
then, and for several years afterward, belonged to the government, 
and there were but a few scattering houses from Fort Dearborn 
south to [the present location of] the University, and between Mich- 
igan Avenue and the beach of Lake Michigan. The sand-hills near 
the shore were still standing. The family of John H. Kinzie was then 
the most prominent in Chicago, and the best acquainted with its 
early history. From this ffimily and other early settlers, and by 
Mr. and Mrs. Kinzie, I was told where the attack on the soldiers by 
the Indians was made. There were then growing some cotton- 
wood trees near which I was told the massacre occurred. One of 
those trees is still standing in the street leading from Michigan 
Avenue to the lake and not very far from the track of the Illinois 
Central Railwa3\ This tree was pointed out to me by both Mr. 
and Mrs Kinzie, as near the place where the attack began. As the 
fight continued, the combatants moved south and went over con- 
siderable space. Mrs. John H. Kinzie was a person of clear and 
retentive memory and of great intelligence. She wrote a full and 
graphic history of the massacre, obtaining her facts, in part, from 
eye-witnesses, and I have no"doubts of her accuracy. 

Very respectfully yours, 

Isaac N. Arnoi^d. 



APPKNIMX K: Tine BKONZK Ml-MoklAI. CiKoUP. *J<>*i 

Ij/ni.R I'KOM A. J. (".AI.I.OWAV. 

Chicaco, rchnriry 8, 1S84. 

Captain A. T. Ani)ri:as. 

Mvdtarsir. — M your nqiKsl I uiU si lU" my rir..lKcii..nh 
-oucerniuj,' tlu« roUonw oo.l tree in the f.i.st cu«l of ICiKlJlct-nth 
Street. \Vhcn I rciiio\c.l iVoni ICMredKC Court to tlie nrcsent 1H0& 
Prairie Avenue, in iSsS, the tree was in apparent k<»"»1 cfindiHoii. 
though showing all the ni.irks of a.lvami-.l age. '1 he large 1o\mi 
brauclK^^ (since cutoff), after niountiug upward for a tune, curved 
gricefully dowuNvard, so that a man ri.ling under them ould have 
readilv touched their extremilies with his whip at a (hslance ol 
twontv or twentv-five feet from the hody. From an intimate knowl- 
edge of the growth of trees. I have no douht hut its sapling life 
long antedated the time of the massacre of the Fort Dearborn gar- 
rison I Nvill venture the opinion that if it were cut down and the 
stump sul)jected to a careful ex imination, it would he found that 
the last two inches of its growth cover a period of fifty years at 
least. Yours truly. 

A. J. r.Vl.I.OWAV. 

To these lii.i;lily convincing letters. CajUain Andreas 

adds verbal testimony as follows : 

Charles liarpell. an old citizen, now living on the North Side, 
savs that as far back as he can renumber this locality was known 
as'"the Indian battle-ground;" tl;at years ago. when a boy. he 
with others used to plav there (the place, from its very associa- 
tions having the s^-ongest attractions) and hunt m the sand for 
beads and other little trinkets, which they were wont to find in 
abundance. Mr. Harpell relates, also, that he. while plaving there 
one day, found an old single-barreled brass pistol, which he kept 

^^^M^rilary Ciark Williams, who.c father, H. B. Clark, purchased 
in i8v, the land on which the tree now stands, says that nearly 
fifty years ago she plaved nnder the old cottonwood, and that it was 
then a large and thrifty tree. In 1840 an old Indian told her that 
the massacre occurred on tl:at spot. 

On the same branch of the subject, and in absolute 
conformation of the Clark testimony, see the folU.win- 
letter, later than the other, ^vhich I ani glad to be able to 
give as ' ' the conclusion of the matter. 

Aspen, Colorado. Manh 15. iS*./). 
Editor of the Tribuuc: 

I notice your interesting article on the ^"^y^'^^}..^^,> 'f„ \^;:^:f,«^ 
Massacre of i3i2 I was born on what is now Michig-tn -KNcnue 
Uhen a farm) and within 1.200 feet of this awful affair. V>m 
ar ic"e is in the main correct, though not exactly so as regard, the 
free at the foot of Ivighteenth Street. This was one of a grove. 
cons?=tingof perhaps llfty to seventy-five l^y?^; ^^^^^^^T^-' ?^,- 
tending from a little north of Sixteenth to a little sonth of Kight- 



210 THK CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 

eenth Street. Almost in the center of this grove— I think the 
exact location would be two hundred and fifty to three hundred 
feet north of Eighteenth Street, on the east end of Wirt Dexter's 
lot— stood a "clump" of eight or nine trees. . . . 

The sand-hills extended from about where the Illinois Central 
round-house now is south to about Twenty-Fifth Street. They were 
covered with low cedar trees, ground pine, and sand cherry bushes, 
together with a perfect mat of sand prickers, to which the soles of 
our feet often gave testimony when in swimming. The old ceme- 
tery, where many of the old settlers were buried, was located near 
Twenty-Second Street and Calumet Avenue. I think the McAvoy 
brewery stands about the centre of it. 

I sincerely hope something will be done to commemorate this 
awful affair and perpetuate the memory of our ancestors, who 
fought the Indians, the fleas and the ague to make so grand and 
beautiful a city as Chicago. 

Robert G, Clarke. 

So much for the place selected for the bronze group, 
now for the work itself. 

Carl Rohl-Smith, a Danish sculptor who had already 
won distinction in Europe and in America, and who came 
to Chicago under the strong attraction which the prepa- 
ration of the World's Columbian Exposition offered for 
all artists, won notice and praise by his statue of Frank- 
lin, cast for the entrance of the Electrical building. This 
work pleased those interested highly, and the sculptor 
was invited to prepare the model for a group to commemo- 
rate the Fort Dearborn Massacre of 1812. Mr. Rohl- 
Smith, by the help of his accomplished wife, made a 
study of the historical facts connected with the event, and 
naturally concluded that Black Partridge saving the life 
of Mrs. Helm was the portion of the sad story which 
presented the most picturesque, dramatic and artistic 
features for reproduction. To this he added the killing 
of Surgeon VanVoorhees, which Mrs. Helm details almost 
in the same breath with the story of her own experience. 
The study, when completed in clay, won the approval of 
all observers (this acceptance being fortified by the warm 
admiration the group elicited from the best art-critics to 
whom it was submitted), and orders were at once given 
for the work ; to be in bronze and of heroic proportions ; 
the figure group to be nine feet high, set on a granite 
pedestal ten feet high. 

Mr. Rohl-Smith set himself to work with the utmost 
diligence. Fortupe favored him ; for there happened to 
be just then some Indians of the must untamed sort at 



ApPi'NDiX K: (.i;()k(;i-: mokti.mhr iti.i.max. 211 

Kort vSliciidaii (only a few miles away), in cliarj;L- of the 
j^arrison as prisoners of war, tliey lia\ in.i; hem captured 
in the Pine Rici^^L- distnrbanee wliereof the affair of 
Wounded Knee creek was the cliicf event, jiy C.eneral 
Miles's permission, Mr. Rolil-Smitli was allowed to select 
two of these red-men to stand as models for the principal 
savage fii^ures of the K^oup. The two best adapted were 
"Kickini;- Bear " and " vSliort Bull." Concerning tliem 
Mr. Rohl-Smith says : 

Kicking Bear is the best specimen of physical manhood I have 
ever crilically examined. He is a wonderfnl man and ^eenis to 
enjoy the novelty of posing, besides evidently having a clear nii- 
lierstanding of the nse to which his figure will be put. The assail- 
ant of Mrs. Helm, the one with the ui)]ifted tomahawk [Short 
Bull] tills the historical idea that the assailant was a " young " 
Indian, naturally one who would not be as fully developed as The 
vigorous, manly chief. Black Partridge. The presence of these 
Indians has been of great value to me in produci: g the figures. I 
have been enabled to bring out some of their characteristics not 
otherwise possible. 

The savages were accompanied hy an interi)reter, and 
the newspapers of the day gave some amusing accounts 
of their demeanor in the studio : their mixture of docility 
and self-assertion, etc. It chanced that the real disposi- 
tions of the two principal models were the reverse of iheir 
assumed characters ; and Kicking Bear (who, when wear- 
ing his native dress and war-paint, carried a string oi' s/.v 
scalps as part of his outfit), was much amused at the fact 
that he was assigned the more humane part. "Me, tJ^ood 
Injun ! " he cried ; "him bad Injun ! " And he laughed 
loudly at the jest. 

The four faces of the granite pedestal bear appropriate 
bas-reliefs cast in bronze. The front (south-west) shows 
the fight itself; the oppo.site side represents the train- 
troops, wagons, etc. — leaving the fort ; one end gives the 
scene when Black Partridge delivered up his medal to Cap- 
tain Heald, and the opposite end the death of the heroic 
Wells. 

The various scenes bear descriptive in.scriptions ; and 
on the North-West face is the dedication, as follows • 



Presented May, 1S93, to the : 

Chicago Historical Society, in Trust for the : 

City of Chicago and for Posterity. '■ 



212 



I'HE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF l8l2. 



The group stands on the scene of the fight, just one 
hundred and twenty feet east of the " Massacre tree" 
spoken of in chapter vii, and earlier in this appendix. 
Its position is admirable in the artistic point of view as 
well as in the historical, for it occupies the eastern ex- 
tremity of Eighteenth Street and the northern of Calumet 
Avenue ; separated from Lake Michigan only by the right 
of way of the Illinois Central railway. The hillocks 
which shielded the Indians in making their attack have 
been lev^eled down, but their sandy base forms an admir- 
able foundation for the massive pedestal, which may well 
keep its place, unmoved, for a thousand years. 




C^|^(^\r 




INDEX 



A. 

Abbott, Dr. Lucius; 49. 
Ageucy House; 48. 67, 79, 19.3. 
Ah-mah-qua-za quah; 35, 17:}. 
Allen, Colonel; 109. 
American Fur Co.; 05, 164. 
Anderson, Capt. Thomas C; 06. 
Andreas, Capt. A. T. quoted; 
1.-/2. 160, 16.-), 107, 170, 210-218 
Andrews, Presley; 146. l-")!). 
Arnold, Hon. I. N.; 148-149, 217. 
Artaguiette; 124. 
Astor's Fur Co.; 56, 05, 164. 
Atwater, Major; 113, 114. 

B. 

Baker, B'vt Major D.; 144. 

Bates, Eli. 120. 

Battles, Joe; 02. 

Baxley, Virginia; 194. 

Beaubien, Alex.; 121, 194. 

Beaubien, J. B.; 169. 

Beckwith, H. W.; 168. 

Bissou, Mrs.; 45, 46. 

Black Bird; 40, 180. 

Black Hawk; 32. 

Black Partridge; 29, 30, 44 46, 

90, 104, 220. 
Black Partridge Medal; 91. 
Blanchard, Rufus; 67, l.-)8-161. 
Block-House; 120. 
Block-House Tablet; 12.5, 120. 
Blodgett, Hon. H. \V.; 189, 192. 
Bo wen, Joseph; 118. 
Braddock's Defeat; 61. 
Bradley, Capt. H.; 144. 



British and Indians; ?.0. 77-79. 
Brock, Cien.; 78. 
Bronze Group; 29, 22(», 221. 
Brown, Maj. Gen.; 145. 
Bunker Hill, Battle of; 107. 
Burgoyne, Gen.; .58. 135. 
Burman (soldier); 146. 
Burnett, Geo.; 146, 1.50. 
Burns, John and family; 72, SO, 

103. 
Burns, Robert; 134. 
Butterfield, Justin; 148. 

c. 

Cahokia; 138. 

Caldwell, Billy rSauganash); 46, 

47, 201, 202. 
Callis, Mrs.; 48. 
Calumet Club; 35. 
Calumet Lake; 55. 
Cass. Lewis; 33, 167, 168. 
Caton, Hon. J. D.; 114, 1.52, 203- 

206. 
Caton, Laura Sherrill; 205. 
Chandonuais; 37, 38, 42, 43, 97, 

102. 
Chetlain, Mrs. Gen.; 180. 
Chicago; passim; see table of 

contents. 
Chicago in 1812 and in 1892; 95. 
Chicago, the name; 54. 
Chicago. Treaty of; 47. 
Clark, Elizabeth; 1.59. 
Clark, Geo. Rogers; 53, .54, 135. 
Clark, H. B.; 218. 
Clark, John K. ; 159. 



213 



214 



INDKX. 



Clarke, Robert G.; 220. 
Cleaver, Charles; 121. 
Clybouru, Archibald; 160. 
Clybouru, Jonas; 160. 
Cobweb Castle; 48, 192. 
Conflict of Authorities; 83, 84, 87. 
Confute Indians; 116. 
Cooper, Isabella; 197-9. 
Cooper, John, Surg. Mate; 149, 

150. 
Corbin, James; 118, 146, 150. 
Corbin, Phelim; 20, 118, 146, 150. 
Corbin, Sukey; 20, 48, 119. 
Cummings, Maj. Alex.; 144. 
Cusler slaughter; 33. 

D. 

Dearborn, Fort; see Fort Dear- 
born. 

Dearborn, Gen. Henry; 57, 143. 

Debou (Frenchman); 72. 

Defence, possible; 192. 

De Peyster, Col. A. S.; 53; 56, 
134-136. 

De Peyster, J. Watts; 134. 

Du Pin, Madame; 104. 

Durantaye; 155. 

Dyer, Dyson; 118, 146, 150. 



Eastman, Lieut. J. L.; 113, 114. 
Eastman, Jonathan, Paymaster; 

189. 
Edson, Nathan; 118, 150. 
Edwards, J. H.; 176-7, 197 9. 
Edwards, Maria (Heald); 183. 
English employment of Indians; 

77-79. 
" Epeconier;" 35, 36. 
Erie Canal; 210. 
Evacuation of Fort Dearborn; 

81, 88. 



F. 

Farnum, Isabella (Cooper); 197. 

Fergus Hist. Series, quoted; 68^ 
120, 151, 152, 168. 

Fergus, Robert; 190. 

Fergus, Scott; 190, 191. 

Fersou, Julia, 152. 

Forsyth, Geo. ; 158. 

Forsyth, Robert; 158, 167. 

Forsyth, Thomas; 158, 162, 166. 

Forsyth, William; 157. 

Fort Chartres; 133. 

Fort Dearborn, passim] see ta- 
ble of contents. 

Fort Dearborn, Records of; 143- 
150. 

Fort Dearborn Verses; 127-129. 

Fort George, Canada; 102. 

Fort Maiden, Canada; 109. 

Fort Meigs, Canada; 109. 

Frangois, half-breed; 100. 

Franklin, Statue of; 220. 

Free Masonry; 98, 178. 

Freer, Dr. Otto; 191, 195. 

French Period; 53. 

Fry, Col. ; 172. 

Fury, John; 146, 150. 

G. 

Galloway, A. J.; 218. 
Gardner's Military History. 

quoted; 151. 
George III; 79, 84, 135. 
Gilbert, Mary Ann; 173. 
Glamorgan; 137. 
Gordon, Mrs. Nellie Kinzie; 171. 
Grade of streets changed; 210. 
Grant, Gen. U. S.; 155. 
Great Fire; 213, 214. 
Green, Capt. John; 144. 
Greenville, Treaty of ; 47, 54, 57, 

90, 155, 159. 



INDHX. 



215 



Griffith, Quartermaster; 100. 
Griggs, James Wells; 17:5. 
Grignoii, Augustin; \'M. 
Grummoiid, I'aul; IIH, 1 hi, loO. 
"Grutte;" 24. 
Guarie River; 57. 

H. 

Hackleys, Ann and John; 173. 
Haines, Hon. John C; 121, 192, 

194, 19"}. 
Hall, Benjamin; IHO. 
Hall, David; IGO. 
Hall, Eugene; 127. 
Hallam. Rev. Mr.; 194. 
Hallil)urtou, Mrs.; 157. 
Hamilton, Gen.; 185. 
Hardscrabble; 71, 105. 
Harmer, Gen.; 174. 
Harpell. Charles; 21S. 
Harrison, W. H.; 44, 05, 107, 

109, 201. 
Hays, Sergeant; 105. 
Hayti, Island of; 137. 
Heald family; 173-183. 
Heald, Hon. Darius; passim; 

see table of contents. 
Heald manuscript lost; 99. 
Heald, Captain Nathan ; passim; 

see table of contents. 
Heald, Rebekah (Wells); pas- 
sim; see table of contents. 
Heald, Rebekah, quoted; 31-38, 

69. 83, 93, 97-99. 
Helm, Lieut. Linai T.; 23, 33, 

39, 41, 48, 49, 162, 181. 
Helm, Margaret; passim; see 

table of contents. 
Helm, Margaret, quoted; see 

Wau-Bun. 
Hennepin; 133. 
Henry, Patrick; 135. 



Hispaniola; 137. 

Historical Society; 29, 45. 165, 

1!»1. 
llookrr, J. Lewis; 121. 
Hosmer, Dr. A. B. ; 191. 195. 
House-raising; 209, 210. 
Hoyt. William M.; 127. 
Hubbard. G. S.; 57. 167, 169, 

170, 18H. 
Hull. Gen.; 78, 80, 93, 114, 118, 

180, 
Hunt family, the; 199. 
Hunter, Gen. David; 23. 
Hurlbut's Anticjuities; 54, 58, 62, 

lis, 1.54. 155. 162. 167. 

I. 

Indians; passim; see cable of 

contents. 
Indian Agency; 62. 63. 
Indian Atrocities; 38. 
Indian Group, (Ryerson's); 126, 
Indian Treaties, 1()5. 

J. 

Jackson, Andrew; 107. 
Jackson, Samuel; 194. 
Jamison, Capt. ; 194. 
Jefferson, President; 57. 
Jerked beef; 85. 
Johnston, John; 175. 
Jones, Fernando; 121, 192-195. 
Jones. R. Adjt. Gen.; 145. 146. 
Jordan, Walter; 116-118. 
Jouett, Charles, 48, 61, 62. 

K. 

Kaskaskia; 133, 138. 
Keamble, (soldier); 146. 
Kee-gee-kaw or swift-goer; 66. 
Kee-po-tah; 44. 100. 102. 112. 
Kickapoos; 1 16. 



216 



INDEX. 



Kicking Bear; 221. ^ 
King, Mrs. Henry W.; 217. 
Kingsbury, Col. Jacob; 149. 
Kingston, John T.; 188. 
Kiuzie family; 23, 46, 61, 68, 

100, 120, 157-170. 
Kinzie House; 19, 44, 46, 61, 64, 

73, 80, 111, 167. 
Kinzie, John; />rt55/w/ see table 

of contents. 
Kiuzie, Mrs. John; 23, 42, 61. 

165. 
Kinzie, John Harris; 23, 61; 161, 

164, 165, 171. 194. 
Kinzie, Mrs. John Harris; 21, 28, 

42, 82, 120, 163, 171, 216. 
Kinzie, John Harris Jr. ; 171, 172; 
Kinzie, Ellen Marion; 23. 170. 
Kinzie. Maria Indiana; 23. 
Kinzie, Robert Allen; 23, 167. 
Kinzie, Mrs. Robert Allen; 153, 

170. 194. 
Knowles, Joseph; 118. 

L. 

Laframboise, Josette; 24. 
Laframboise, Pierre; 121, 194. 
La Geuness, J. B.; 65. 
Lake Erie, battle of; 109, 110. 
Lalime, John; 70, 80, 163, 185. 
La Salle, Robert Cavelier; 53, 54, 

126, 133, 184. 
Latrobe, John Joseph; 203. 
Law, John, 138, 138. 
Lawe, Judge John; 65. 
Leclerc, Peresh; 30, 39. 
Lee's place and family; 70-72, 

80, 104, 105. 
Le Mai; 57, 60, 137, 155. 
Liber Scriptorum; 138-141. 
Lincoln, Hon. Robert; 68, 143. 
Little Belt, Sloop; IIQ. 



Little Turtle (Me-che-kan nah- 
quah); 32, 35, 55, 173-177. 

Locker, Frederick; 146, 150. 

L< gan. Hugh; 119, 150. 

Lord Liverpool's Government; 
78, 79. 

Lundy's Lane, battle of; 107. 

Lynch, Michael; 146, 150. 

M. 

Macomb, Mr.; 112. 
Mackinaw; 58, 80, 102, 103. 
Mad Anthony; see Wayne. 
Maguago, battle of; 155. 
Main Poc; 187. 

Marquette; 53, 54, 71, 105, 133. 
Mason, E. G.;49, 138. 
Massacre; 19-50 and passim. 
Massacre tree; 38, 113, 216-219. 
McCagg. Ezra; 192. 
McComb, Maj. Gen.; 146, 
McCoy, Isaac; 63. 
McCrea, Miss Jane; 135. 
McKee, Col.; 100. 
McKenzie, Elizabeth; 158, 159. 
McKenzie, Isaac; 159. 
McKenzie, John; 157. 
McKenzie, Margaret; 158, 159 

163. 164. 
McKillop, Eleanor; 160, 161. 
McKillop, Margaret; 161. 
McNeil, Col. J.; 144. 
McPherson, Hugh; 146, 150. 
Me-che-kan-nah-qua; 32, 35, 55, 

173. 
Miami Indians; 20, 24, 25-27, 89, 

93, 116, 180. 
Militia-men; 23, 38, 40. 
Miller, Samuel; 161. 
Mills, Elias; 118, 146. 
Minnawack or M.iU-wack-ee; 66, 

103. 



INDKX. 



217 



Miraiideau, Victoirc; 1^9. 
Minfitt, William; 146. 150. 
Mott. AuKUst; 119, l^O. 
Mound City (j^utiboat); 171. 
MiitiscH's History, quoted; 45. 
o;^. r>7. 71. 80, 82. 

N. 

Napoleonic years; fi3. 
Nau-non-gee; 77, 105. 
Neads, John, wife and child; 

119, 150. 
Nelson (soldier); 119. 
Ne scot-nee-meg; 45. 
New Orleans, battle of, 107. 
Niles Register, quoted; 103. 113, 

115. 116, 118, 180. 
Noble, Mark; 170. 
No-ke-no-qua, INIiss; 187. 
Nourse, Charles J.; 145. 

o. 

O'Fallon, Col.; 37, 178. 
OFallon, Mo.; 38, 99. 178. 
O'Strander. Philip; 149, 150. 
Ottawas; 77. 
Ouillemette; 19, 45, 46, 57, 155. 

P. 

Parc-aux-vaches; "23, 115, 166. 
Patterson. Mr.; 109. 
Pee-so-tum, 30. 41, 142. 
Pe-me-sah-quah; 173. 
Perr)', Commodore; 107. 110. 
Peterson (soldier); 146. 
Pettell. M.; 80, 155. 
Plattsburgh paper, quoted; 103. 
Pointe de Saible. J. B. ; 44, 53, 

55-57, 60, 133-141. 157, 1<)6. 
Pope, Nathaniel; 173. 
Porthier. Victoire Mirandeau; 

189, 190. 



Pottowatomies; 24, 25 27. 30. 40, 
n, 16, 57, 8H, 103. 123, ir^; 

Proctor, Gen.; lOi, lOS, 115. 110. 

Posterity of Pioneers ; John 
Whistler. John Kin/ie. Will- 
iam Wells and Nathan Heald; 
see ap])endix C, I) and h,. 

Put-in-bay; 107, 114. 

Q. 

Queen Charlotte, schooner); 
113, 114. 



Relics recovered; 178 
Reveille; 19. 
Roberts, Capt.; 181. 
Robinson, Chief; 63, 101. 
Rohl-Smith, Carl; 29, 220. 221. 
Ronan, Lieut. George; 22. 28, 
33, 40, 70, 82, 83,144, 146, 181. 
Round Head; 201. 
Runisey. Julian; 201. 
Russell family; 80. 
Ryerson. INIartin; 126. 
Ryswick, treaty of; 137. 

s. 

Sand-dunes; 25; 29, 31, 180. 
Sauganash, the; 46, 47, 201, 202. 
vScalped girl; 197. 
Scott, Winfield; 107. 
Senat. Jesuit; 124. 
vShaubena; 138, i;^9. 202. 
Shaw-nee-aw-kie, (Silversmith); 

68, 109, 158. 
Shawnee Indians; 77, 201. 
SheatTe, Col.; 102. 
Sheridan, Mrs. Gen.; 152. 
Short Bull; 221. 
Skeletons buried; 120. 121. 
vSkeleton in Hist. Society; 1S6. 
Sleeping-car system; 212-214. 



218 



INDEX. 



Smith, John; 146, 150. 

St. Ange; 124. 

St. Clair, Governor; 140, 174. 

St. Cosme; 133. 

St. Domingo; 137. 

St. James' Church; 194. 

St. Joseph's; 23, 59, 98, 100-102. 

Stuart, David; 164. 

Swearingen, Col. James S.; 58. 

Sword of Capt. Heald; 99. 

T. 

Tanner, Dr. H. B.; 65. 
Taylor, Augustus; 172. 
Tecumseh; 32, 47, 106, 201. 
Thames, battle of; 107. 
Thompson, Lieut.; 194. 
Tippecanoe, battle of; 44, 74, 77. 
Tonti; 54, 138. 
To-pee-nee-be; 24, 25, 27, 63, 

100, 102. 
Torture of wounded prisoners; 

38, 43, 98. 
Toussaint L'Ouverture; 138, 139. 
"Tracy," schooner; 59, 67, 155. 
Tree, Lambert; 126; 

V. 

Van Home, James; 118, 146, 150. 
Van Voorhees, Dr. Isaac; 28, 33, 

40, 144, 181, 220. 
Vinsenne; 124. 

w. 

Wabash Indians; 44. 
Wabash River; 144. 
Waggoner, Anthony L.; 150. 
Wah-bee-nee-mah; 30. 
Walk-iu-the-water; 201. 
Wa-nan-ga-peth; 35, 173. 
War-dance; 203. 



War of 1812; 80. 
Washington, President; 175, 
Wau-ban-see; 41, 44. 
Waubansa stone; 147, 148. 
Wau-bin-she-way; 48. 
Wau-Bun, quoted; 21, 23, 28, 31, 
39, 41, 42, 44, 45, 62, 71, 72, 
80, 82, 85, 86, 88, 90, 99-106, 
108-110, 137, 186. 
Wayne, Gen. Anthony; 47, 55, 

56, 175, 202. 
Webster, Daniel; 148. 
Weem-te-gosh ; 100. 
Wells family; 173-183. 
Wells, Rebekah; 69, 70, 173. 
Wells, Samuel; 36, 37, 69,99, 173. 
Wells, William; passim; see 

table of contents. 
Wells Street; 35. 
Wentworth, John; 68, 151, 152. 
Whisky; 63, 87, 88. 
Whistler family; 151-156. 
Whistler, John; 58-61, 66, 69. 
Whistler, John Jr.; 162. 

Whistler, Major Geo. W.; 152. 

Whistler, William; 58, 59. 

Whistler, Mrs. Wm.; 59, 60, 61. 

White Elk; 48. 

White, Liberty; 71. 

Williams, Mrs. Mary Clark; 118. 

Wilmette; 57. 

Winnebagoes; 77, 88, 116, 167. 

Winnemeg; 41, 80, 81. 

Wolcott, Alexander; 165, 169. 

Wolcott, Henry Clay; 173. 

Wolcott, James Madison; 35, 
173, 177. 

Wolcott, William Wells; 173. 

Women and Children; 40, 49, 64. 
Wood, Alonzo C. ; 194. 

Woodward, Augustus B. ; 49. 
Wounded for torture; 38, 43, 98. 



DIBBLE PUBLISlIIiNG CO., 

X\[ Dl-lAUnoKN SlRIUiT, 

CHICAGO. 



MAJOR KIRKLANDS FIVK BOOKS. 



Historical Works : 

THK STORY OF CHICAGO. Cloth. $3 50; Half Morocco, I500; 
Full Morocco. Gilt Edged, I7.00. 

THE CHICAGO MASSACRE OF 1S12. Paper. 50 cts. Cloth. $1.00 

Novels : 
ZURV. THE MEANEST MAN IN SPRING COUNTY. Paper. 

50 cts.; Cloth, $1.50. 
THE McVEYS, AN EPISODE. Cloth. $1.25. 
THE CAPTAIN OF COMPANY K. Illustrated. Paper. 50 cts.; 

Cloth, |i.oo. 

Each of the above books sent, carriage free, on the receipt of 
the price named. All three of the novels, in cloth, for I3.00. 



The two histories are devoted to a topic which the 
whole world agrees to consider, on the whole, the most 
interesting of all now offered for its attention, namely, the 
yonng giant of the West :— Chicago. 

The last named, "The Chicago Massacre of 1812, is 
here, within these covers, to speak for it.self. The first 
named, " The Story of Chicago," has been published for 
about a year, meeting a success without parallel among 
the books on this subject. 

The publishers have received (beside hundreds ot tavor- 
able reviews) the following eloquent personal letters, 
worth many ordinary critiques: 

219 



WHAT THE FOUR 




OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, 
LOUISA CHANDLER MOULTON, 
FRANCES E. WILLARD, 
EDMUND C. STEDMAN, 

HAVE TO SAY ABOUT 

THE STORY OF CHICAGO: 

Boston, March 19, 1892. 
My Dear Mr. Dibble: 

I have waited a few days to become acquainted with your beauti- 
ful book, "The Story of Chicago." It is indeed a story worth 
telling, and I thank you most heartily for giving me the oppor- 
tunity of reading it and the privilegeof placing it upon my shelves. 

They used to tell us that the age of miracles had passed, but few 
recorded miracles compare with the wonder of this great city, 
springing up like a mushroom and hardening and spreading its 
branches until it stands like a mighty oak, king of the forest, with 
the promise of countless ages before it. 

I have had great pleasure in looking at the splendid architectural 
monuments as the}- are figured in your pages. I have looked with 
the deepest interest on the portraits of the men who have wrought 
all these marvels, and I only wish that I could promise myself the 
delight of beholding Chicago as she will appear in her more than 
royal robes when the world is flocking to look at her, the Empress 
City of the West; it may be, by and by, of the Continent. 
I am, dear sir, Very truly yours, 

Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



22 Rutland Square, 1 

Boston, Mass., April 11, 1892. j 
Dear Mr. Dibble : 

I have delayed to thank you for " The Story of Chicago " until 
I could find time to make myself thoroughly familiar with it; and 
I can now say, without hesitation, that it has interested me more 
than any other story of a town that I have ever read. 

I congratulate you on having secured as its author so accomp- 
lished a writer as Major Kirkland, whose novels are a memorable 
delight, and who proves himself, in this fascinating "Story of 
Chicago," no less successful as a historian. 

Your very numerous and beautiful illustratious add greatly to 
the value of the book; and surely this Story, (which reads like a 
chapter of miracles.) is a contribution to American history of 
which no one can afford to be ignorant 

Yours very sincerely, 

Louise Chandler Moulton. 
220 



Rest Cottage. 1 

RVANSTON, III, Jlim- 23, 1S92. f 

The Didhi.i. riiHMSiiixc, Co., 

C'hiraj^o, 111. 

Kind I'riknds: — "The Story of Chicaj^o " is Major Kirklatul's 
111 istirpifcc. He has e()iiij)rehen«U-(l what envious New York has 
oallfd the "Wiiuly City," hut which is in reality the MaKie City. 
not only of AuK-riea hut of the world. Whoever helps to ])Ut this 
book under eyes that have not been hlesse<i by its fair, iiispirinj^ 
jKiijes and choice photoi;ravuri'S has helped to increase the sum of 
luiinan happiness, for as the brain of in in is erealion's masterpiece 
so Chicai(o is the planet's whisperinj.; ).(allery of whatever is most 
hopeful, progressive and inspirinj^ to humanity. Her history is the 
epic of the ( ireat Lakes and the wonder-book of the prairies. Lung 
may its crisp pages rustle in the breeze. 

Frances K. W'ili.akd, 

137 West ySth Street. | 

New York, July 12th, 1.S92. / 
Dear Mr. DiiiULH : 

When you prevailed upon Major Kirkland to write the 'Stijry 
of Chicago." you displayed once more your acumen. You induceil 
the brilliant author of " Zury " to forego his imaginative work for 
a while, and to devote his talent to the narration of an " o'er true 
tale " — a tale, however, as strange and absorbing as ar.y romance. 
I know he will get his reward, and I hope you will get vours. 

But let me compliment you, heartily, upon the book itself, and 
upon the liberality and taste with wliich you have illustrated it. 
Every American is proud of Chicago, of her histor\-, her great 
ambition, her financial and intellectual progress. Her record is 
faithfully set forth in your handsome volume. Whoever designs 
to visit Chicago and the Columbian Kxposition should own and 
thoroughly read " The Story." 

Ever sincerely yours, 

Edmund C. Stedman. 



Following the good practice of ' 'letting other men do 
the talking, ' ' here are some of the conntless pnblic praises 
which came crowding in after the publication of each of 
the three novels: 



221 



KIRKLAND'S THREE NOVELS. 




NE NOVEL ("Zury") tells of life on Zury's 
farm, and another ("The McVeys") tells of 
life at Springville and early Chicago, with 
glimpses of Lincoln, Douglas, David Davis, 
etc., and bring together Zury and Anne Spar- 
row, the hero and heroine of both novels: Of 
these two books Hamlin Garland in The 
Boston Transcript says: 

"The full revelatiou of inexhaustible wealth of native Ameri- 
can material . . . will come to the Eastern reader with the 
reading of "Zury" .... It is as native to Illinois as Tolstoi's 
"Anna Karenina" and Torgueniefi's "Father and Sons" are to 
Russia, its descriptions are so infused with real emotion and so 
graphic. The book is absolutely unconventional . . . not a 
trace of the old-world literature or society, — and every character 
is new and native . . . The heroine is a Boston girl, . . . 
a bouncing, resolute, und very frank personage, able to care for 
herself in any place. The central figure ... is Zury. . . 
This a great and consistent piece of character painting. . . . 
He fills the book with his presence and his inimitable comments 
upon life and society. ... A man whose better nature 
flowered late." 

"The McVeys; An Episode," has the sincerity of history, 
and when one reads it he is in the very atmosphere of Spring 
County. The surveying crew, the roilroad building and final jubilee, 
the lead mining all go on under the eye. . . . The story of 
Anne and her children forms the connecting thread of a book of 
great power and freshness. 

The War novel won the first prize ($i,6oo) in the 
famous competition got up by the Detroit Free Press. 
In gaining favorable notices it quite equalled its two 
predecessors. 

"The Captain of Company K." There is nothing in the nature 
of artistic writing within the covers of ' The Captain of Company 
K," by Maj. Joseph Kirkland, nor is there any of that kind called 
real because it is ugly, but there is a good story of life in a volunteer 
company in active service. The hero is a fine specimen of those 
countless citizens to whom their country's need revealed their best 

223 



selves, and Uk- hcroiiic is an admiraMc likeness of the ^irls «if lu r 
time. The ])ulilishcrs conijj.ne the story to the work ot 'l*<ilsioi 
aiul I)e Maiipassant, which is unjust to the author, wliose mind is 
as free from Russian morbidity as it is of l'*renih artistic instimt, 
and, heinj^ an American, he is to he eonj^jratulated on hotli de- 
lieieneies. It is not the njost trulhful w liters, or the authors of 
the most wholesome books who are carried away by the influence 
of contemporary foreigners, any more than it is the manlie>-t men 
who imitate the social ca]nices of other countries. Maj Kirkl.iiul 
has written an American .story for Americans, and has written it 
well. — Bosiofi Herald. 

"The Captain olCiinpany K," by Joseph Kiikland, is oi e of 
the very few later stories of '(51 which cannot fail to interest e\try- 
body. To those readers who are already accjuainttd with Mr. 
Kirkland's " Zury " and tl.e ]VIc\eys," aiul they are not a ft w, 
" Company K " will be a double treat, as it cariits soii;e of the 
characters he has portrayed in them tbroujih the scene of the great 
rebellion. The style of the book is clearly hinted at in its iini(jue 
dedication to "The survi\injj[ men of the firing line; who cf uld i-ee 
the enemy in front of thtm with the lu-ked eye, wliile they W( uld 
have needed a field glass to see the history makers behind thtm." 
The private's impressions of war, f( rmed in the teeth of mu^ketry, 
may be of less value to accurate history than the view from tlie 
the epaulette quarter, but for dramatic purposes the foot soldier's 
story is best, as Mr Kirklaiid proves by his success with a military 
novel.-- A';V/^5/: n {JV. } . ) Fr. ciiian. 

I read the story at one sitting, and morning found 
me closing the vohinie. Voii have written a true book. 
That intimate image of certain phases of the Civil War, 
which the mind's eye of the soldier alone retains, and 
which, already dimmed by years, would soon have been 
blotted forever, has been caught and fixed in literature. 
— Major Henry A. Hunthigion. 



DIBBLE PUBLISHING CO., 

Sell on easy payments "A Library of American Liter- 
ature," " New^ Chambers' Encyclopedia," " Webster's 
International Dictionary," and other standard illustrated 
publications, giving employment to luindreds of intelli- 
gent instructors and solicitors. Our friends, subscribers, 
solicitors and customers are cordiall\- invited to make our 
office their headquarters during their stay at the World's 
Fair. Call or address. 

Dibble Publishing Co., 

334 Dearborn St., Chicago. 



Dibble publishing company*^ 

World's Columbian Exposition 

Pocket Record Book 

J.S alphabetically arranged, with maps, floor-plaus and charts, so 
as to answer as a guide as to what is best worth seeing and how to 
see it and keep a perfect record, from day to day, of what you 
have inspected, wnth ample room for memoranda all through the 
book. Sent by mail, postage paid, on receipt of 10 cents. 



'•BUNKER HILL TO CHICAGO." 

BY MRS. KLOISE O. RANDALL RICHBERG. 
Is a charming story, of interest from start to finish. So cleverly 
is the tale unfolded there is no point at which to rest until the end 
is reached. The compassionate author closes on page 160. In 
paper covers, 50 cents, and will be sent postage paid to any ad- 
dress on receipt of price. 

"FAY BANNING." 

BY WILL J. BLOOMFIELD. 
Speaks for itself in a language and style of its own, drawing the 
reader on, page after page, fully occupying the mind with dramatic 
scenes of exquisite taste and ever changing variety, in so clear 
and vivid a form the reader is inclined to feel he is really partici- 
pating in, and helping to tell the story of his adventures and those 
of his friends who are leadiL^g characters in this beautiful drama of 
real life. 288 pages handsomely printed from close, clear type, 
neat cloth covers, |1.00; paper covers 50 cents, and will be sent, 
postage paid, to any address on receipt of price. 



"LILY PEARL AND THE MISTRESS OF 

ROSED ALE." 

BY THE BLIND BARD OF MICHIGAN. 
This sweet singer, though blind, has so beautifully told the story 
of ''Lily Pearl" that one of our leading authors says of her: 
" Sightless she is not, for in her the mind's eye is of a brilliancy 
that seems to make our mere physical vision useless by compar- 
ison. Better the soul's sight without eyes, than the eyesight with- 
out soul." 458 pages handsomely illustrated and neatly bound in 

cloth, $1.25. Address 

DIBBLE PUBLISHING CO. 

334 Dearborn St., Chicago. 

224 










i^^ 






#. 




V:i 



*^' 



Iri 



■>1 



r^A 



